Four Dead After Winter Storm Eboni Creates Treacherous Travel Conditions

The Weather Channel

Roadways were still snowy and slick a day after Winter Storm Eboni closed interstates, highways and spawned treacherous travel conditions that turned deadly in three states.

At least four deaths are linked to the powerful snowstorm that caused numerous crashes across the Plains and Upper Midwest this week. On Friday, the storm brought trouble to New England states.

A teenager was killed in a crash on Interstate 70 near Oakley, Kansas, on Thursday.

Jaxon Buerge, 16, was a passenger in an SUV that was rear ended by a semi-trailer. The teen was rushed to an area hospital, where he later died. Three other family members riding in the SUV, including a 9-year-old boy, sustained serious injuries, WIBW reports.

In Minnesota, a woman was killed Thursday in a crash involving a small bus and an SUV near Big Lake, the AP reports. Marilyn Balogi, 47, of Zimmerman, was killed in the crash. Seven others were also injured in the crash, the Associated Press reports.

Also in Minnesota, a pedestrian was struck and killed Thursday by a pickup truck with a plow blade in Crow Wing County. Michael Donnay, 51, was pronounced dead at the scene about 8:30 p.m. local time, the AP reports.

The driver of a pickup truck was killed Thursday when he collided with another vehicle on a snow-covered highway in Dunn County, North Dakota. Jared Maturin, 37, of Jeanerette, Louisiana, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and three passengers in the other vehicle were not hurt.

After four tractor-trailers jackknifed on Friday morning, Interstate 89 North was closed between Concord and Hopkinton, New Hampshire, WHDH reported. State police also reported a jackknifed tractor-trailer in Milford and other vehicles sliding on Route 101.

Slick roads caused several crashes and spinouts in the Worcester, Massachusetts area on Friday morning. Jay Senior of Early’s Towing told WHDH the company responded to about two dozen accidents.

“It all started at 4:30 this morning with the calls with the accidents and city streets,” he said. “Everything’s just icy.”

A 2,000-gallon oil truck spilled its contents after tipping over on a hill in Worcester.

On Thursday, wrecks and whiteout conditions prompted authorities to close a stretch of the I-70 from the Colorado border to Hays. The interstate was reopened about 4:15 p.m.

The Minnesota State Patrol said it responded to 167 crashes, 259 spinouts and 13 jackknifed semis on Thursday, the AP reports.

The Kansas Highway Patrol said it responded to at least 29 crashes during the storm. Only two of those involved injuries. Many more crashes were reported to local police and sheriff’s departments.

(MORE: What to Expect from Winter Storm Eboni)

Whiteout conditions from the storm also forced the closure of portions of I-80 in Nebraska on Thursday. The Nebraska Department of Transportation shut down westbound I-80 between North Platte and Grand Island because of blizzard conditions. Eastbound I-80 and Highway 30 were closed from North Platte to Lexington. The roads were reopened Friday morning.

The Nebraska Transportation Department noted Friday morning that nearly two-thirds of the highways remained partially or fully covered with snow.

Ahead of the storm, Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer issued a disaster declaration on Wednesday.

“We hope that travelers will be wise by paying attention to weather alerts and not unnecessarily placing themselves in harm’s way as the storm moves through,” he said in the statement.

Minnesota State Patrol troopers responded to numerous crashes and jack-knifed tractor trailers on Thursday. Traffic had to be routed around portions of Interstate 94.

On Wednesday night, a Minnesota trooper’s patrol car was sideswiped by a semitrailer truckwhen the trooper was pulling over to work a crash scene on I-94. The trooper was not injured. Authorities are asking for help locating the truck and its driver, who didn’t stop after hitting the trooper’s car. Also on Wednesday night, a man was injured after his car rear-ended a Minnesota Department of Transportation snowplow on Highway 10 in Detroit Lakes, KVRR reported. The man, who is from Ohio, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

The State Patrol reported 270 crashes statewide from 6 p.m. Wednesday to daybreak Thursday, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. About 20 people were injured, but there were no deaths.

The University of North Dakota closed its campus Thursday in Grand Forks, while the Bismarck State Colleges also closed its offices, the Associated Press reports.

The storm also caused numerous flight delays and cancellations. Nearly all flights out of Fargo, North Dakota, were canceled, according to the airport.

Bus service for Fargo and neighboring Moorhead, Minnesota, was suspended Thursday afternoon as road conditions worsened.

Heavy snow in the Oklahoma Panhandle forced the closure of several highways, including state Highway 54, where several tractor-trailers jackknifed.

In Utah, two highway patrol vehicles were involved in separate crashes Wednesday on slick roads. No injuries were reported in either wreck, the Associated Press reported.

A New Mexico sheriff’s deputy was struck by a vehicle on a snowy road Wednesday.

Rio Arriba County Deputy Cindy Garcia was transported to an area hospital with a leg fracture, according to KRQE.com.

Authorities closed a section of I-25 in New Mexico after snow conditions made travel impossible Wednesday morning, KOAT-TV reported. The road was reopened a few hours later once conditions improved, according to KRQE.com.

California Freeway Closed After Pileup

Snow and ice from Eboni closed northbound lanes on Southern California’s 15 Freeway near Cajon Pass for hours Tuesday following a chain-reaction crash involving about 40 vehicles.

Ten people were taken to area hospitals with mild to moderate injuries following the 6:30 a.m. crash, Victor Valley News reported.

“I ended up crashing into a couple people, I didn’t hurt nobody though,” driver Andrew Wheeler told the CBS Los Angeles. “The car just went one way, no matter how much you steered, counter-steered, whatever, you just couldn’t do anything.”

The highway was reopened by 10:30 a.m. Christmas morning.

https://weather.com/news/news/2018-12-26-winter-storm-eboni-impacts

2 thoughts on “Four Dead After Winter Storm Eboni Creates Treacherous Travel Conditions”

  2. Eboni with an I….for Israel?

    The wood is spelled Ebony.
    The color is spelled Ebony.
    It’s either Zionist Israelis or a single mother…of any race…who doesn’t know how to spell and filled out the birth certificate information incorrectly?

    I know personally that the second explanation occurs frequently.
    But my money is on the Zionist israelis pushing an agenda.

    Reply

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