Icy Weather Causes Several Accidents Thursday In Manhattan

MANHATTAN, IL — The Manhattan Fire Protection District received several calls about car accidents and falls during icy weather Thursday. The district said it responded to seven separate single-vehicle accidents and vehicle rollovers before 9 a.m. Thursday.

“The majority of the accidents reported were of vehicles sliding off the roadways after losing control,” Fire Chief Steve Malone said in a release.

The district said most of the crashes and wrecks were minor with no reports of major injuries.

However, an accident on the west side of Manhattan Road did result in one person being extricated from a pick-up truck. The truck had gone into a ditch, and the driver was treated on scene for non-life threatening injuries and taken to a nearby hospital, the district said.

10 calls were also recorded between 8:12 a.m. and 9:50 a.m. the district said. New Lenox and Elwood fire protection districts provided mutual aid to several of the calls, and a callback for off-duty Manhattan firefighters to return to Fire Station 81 was requested to provide additional manpower to cover the fire district.

“Before venturing out, remember to check the weather conditions so you know what to expect,” Malone said in a release.

Drivers are urged to decrease their speed and to increase their following distance between cars when driving on icy or slick roads to prevent an accident.