Icy roads in Central Texas lead to several car accidents

Austin, Texas – Ice is expected to continue in Central Texas. Conditions that have already led to many accidents.

Caught on Tuesday morning’s Good Day Austin newscast, a car passing State Highway 71 and FM 973 slid down icy roads and narrowly avoided another truck that had already crashed.

“We’ve seen a few crashes starting last night and ending today, and we’re likely to see more if people don’t slow down or, better yet, keep out of the way,” said Brad Willis, spokesman for TxDOT.

RELATED STORIES:

10 vehicles collided in South Austin, killing one person near the intersection of South First Street and Ben White Boulevard.

Austin Fire tweeted that they have responded to over 90 crashes, three of which involved AFD units.

In Williamson County, a truck pulled off the road onto FM 487.

“Travel conditions can be quite treacherous, and even if you see a dry patch on an Interstate or other highway, it can give you a false sense of security,” Willis said.

Wheelis says TxDOT has been doing road pretreatment since Sunday and will continue through Thursday on the busiest roads in Austin. TxDOT trucks started with brine, which is a salt water treatment that prevents ice from forming on the roadway and lowers the temperature at which water freezes. After that comes a granular substance that melts the ice.

However, Willis says the ice will still build up no matter what, which is why his important people stay off the roads or drive slowly.

“Slow down, increase the distance to other vehicles. If you are driving on a flyover, stay straight. Do not make sudden movements on this overpass and, of course, do not apply the brakes,” said Captain Darren Noak. Austin-Travis County Ambulance Service.

One thing he advises not to do if you’re in an accident is to get out of your car. FOX 7 Austin caught a man standing in the middle of an SH-71w on FM 973 next to their crashed car.

“You can quickly become a motorized pedestrian,” Captain Noack said.

Captain Noak says that the ambulance service recorded several accidents involving people outside their vehicles. One incident that was more serious than the others occurred on one of the overpasses near SH 130 and Hog Eye.

“One of these patients actually jumped over the side to avoid being hit by a car. Another person was hit by a car and subsequently thrown off an embankment,” he said.

The best advice he can give you is to stay in the car and wait for instructions from law enforcement.

After all, officials are advising everyone to stay off the roads. If you need to be on the road, check out drivetexas.org to find out which roads have ice.