Freezing Rain Causes More Than 100 Car Accidents Collectively

By Justin Muszynski, The Bristol Press

January 5, 2022

An ice storm without much warning caused chaos on local roads Wednesday morning, leading to numerous crashes.

Cities like Bristol and New Britain reported 61 and 68 car crashes, respectively, between about 6:30 and 9:30 a.m., with Bristol police Lt. Geoffrey Lund calling it the “most I’ve ever seen in that span.”

Although no serious injuries were reported in either city, New Britain police Chief Christoper Chute said the sheer volume of crashes prompted the need for extra staffing.

“We had extra officers working to respond to the high volume of motor vehicle accidents,” Chute said.

In Bristol, the timing of the storm caused a unique situation for children who were picked up early for their bus ride. The roads were fine very early, Bristol Mayor Jeffrey Caggiano said, but their conditions worsened very quickly around 6:30 a.m. Around that time, the mayor continued, school bus drivers were instructed to remain in place so public works crews could sand and treat the roads until they were safe enough for travel.

“It was a late closing for Bristol,” Caggiano said, adding that the system that moved through had a very unusual timing to it without much of a warning.

Schools in Newington, Plainville and Plymouth were also closed Wednesday because of the ice. New Britain had a two-hour delay for its elementary and middle schools, while Central Connecticut State University opened at noon.

WFSB-TV Meteorologist Scot Haney said places all over the state saw freezing rain that iced up the roads. According to the state’s Department of Transportation, this resulted in a slew of crashes on Connecticut’s major highways, some of which were at a standstill for hours.

“And then of course we’re tracking snow for Friday,” Haney said, adding that the system coming through could produce 3 to 4 inches of snow and possible 5 to 6 inches in some parts of the state.

The freezing rain Wednesday morning also caused a number of crashes in Berlin, Southington and Plymouth.

Plainville seemed to escape with the fewest issues, only reporting three car accidents in the morning hours, none of which were serious. Plainville Lt. Nicholas Mullins said police also received the report of two people falling on the ice, but they did not report any serious injuries.

In Plymouth and Berlin, 12 car crashes, none of which involved serious injuries, were reported Thursday morning in each town, while 27 car accidents were reported in Southington. Southington police said none involved serious injuries.

Annette Turnquist, director of public works and town engineer in Southington, said crews in her town began pretreating roads around 4 a.m..

“However, the rain came down heavily, washed away the material, and froze on the road surfaces,” Turnquist said. “As a result, some of the roads have been treated multiple times.”

“This is a very difficult situation due to the timing and the fact that it is ice,” Turnquist continued. “Ice is much more difficult to handle than snow.”

Staff writer Brian M. Johnson contributed to this article.

Justin Muszynski can be reached at 860-973-1809 or jmuszynski@bristolpress.com.