Overbrook, Pa. (KDKA) – Pittsburgh has its first true winter storm, bringing snow, ice and freezing temperatures. All of these factors combine to make for some treacherous road conditions.
Many drivers in Pittsburgh had an unpleasant winter surprise that made for a tough day for the entire city.
Before most of Pittsburgh’s residents start waking up, the city feels like an idyllic place you might see in a Hallmark Christmas movie. But sometime around 8 a.m., when people started hitting the roads, Currier and Ives’ photo of Pittsburgh was broken.
There were multiple crashes within minutes on several roads in different areas. In one accident, more than six cars collided, resulting in a multi-car collision. Fortunately, no one was injured.
In the street at a local petrol station, several other cars were towed to safety after skidding off the road. In Brookline Hills, the neighborhood lost power when a car crashed into a utility pole.
The reason for all this chaos: icy and untreated roads.
There seems to be no worse place in the city than the Overbrook neighborhood, where residents have witnessed multiple car accidents on this hilly street, one all morning.
“car [were] It’s crashing everywhere, it’s been a block of ice since this morning,” said Overbrook resident Megan Young.
“It’s the main road. People go through it all the time. We connect to Route 51, so it’s ridiculous that people have cars in their yards going through the fence,” said Joe Boumiller, another concerned Overbrook resident. “That’s what I’ve been watching all morning. So, it’s better than TV, and I’ve had coffee.”
“Cars are parked in my front yard. Funny thing is last year there was a big tree around the corner. It fell. It broke my fence. Now I have to replace it,” resident Nate Arnett said.
Within minutes of arriving at the scene, KDKA witnessed several more splits and at least two additional fender bends to add to the staggering number of crashes that had already occurred. It wasn’t until about 30 minutes later that a Pittsburgh police officer and a tow truck arrived to help, but sadly, no salt truck was in sight.
Residents say this happens every year, but it shouldn’t.
“We see this every year. They don’t treat the mountain at all. I mean, sometimes we might see it around nine or ten o’clock, we might see something, but this situation Very rare,” Yang added.
“Ed Gainey can come over to my house. I’ve got coffee for you. You can sit on the porch and watch this happen because it’s ridiculous,” Baumiller added.
As neighbors start cleaning up after this dreadful morning, one can be sure that if neighborhoods like this don’t address safety concerns, it’s sure to be a long, cold winter.
