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SHA, Emergency Crews Busy Responding To Accidents Sunday

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Sheets of ice covered city and county streets, causing several wrecks, pileups and at least one fatality. The National Weather Service issued the warning after cars were already on the roads.

Gigi Barnett has more.

Many drivers across the city and counties in Maryland had damaged vehicles Sunday after trying to navigate icy roads.

"She spun out and she hit me real hard on the front right side of my car," said driver Kevin Connelly.

Connelly was headed to a wrestling match in Harford County. He hit ice on Belair Road. The driver next to him couldn't stop and slammed into his SUV. He called on all of his driving skills, but nothing helped.

"Even if you're going slow, you can hit your brakes, do whatever you want, pump your brakes," he said. "Sometimes it's just not enough."

The National Weather Service issued a freezing rain advisory right around 8 a.m., but Sunday morning errands were already in gear.

"Temperatures got their coldest of the overnight just around 7 o'clock this morning. Sunrise started to warm things up but by then freezing rain came down; it froze on contact. National Weather Service and local governments tried to get the word out, but by then many drivers were impacted," said Meteorologist Tim Williams. "The freezing rain advisory stayed in effect until about noon."

Harford County saw at least 20 icy road accidents Sunday morning. At least one of them was fatal. Even rescue workers say it's tough for them to get to the accidents safely.

"My first call this morning was a winch-out and the guy slid off the ramp off 95 and was like 100 feet off the road. It was pretty treacherous," said rescue worker Rob Casey.

And until salt trucks showed up, the backups continue and the clean up is slow.

"We have calls piling up, but it's just tough for us to get to the people," Casey said.

State Highway workers say their top concern during the morning were the bridges, ramps and overpasses that tend to freeze first. Many of them were blocked off to drivers.

For more information on accidents and road closures, click here.

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