Icy, untreated roads, vehicle accidents leave local residents frustrated
OVERBROOK, Pa. (KDKA) - The first real blast of winter here in Pittsburgh brought with it snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. All these elements combined to make for some treacherous road conditions.
An unpleasant winter surprise greeted many drivers in Pittsburgh creating a tough day across the city.
Before most residents started waking up here in Pittsburgh, the city resembled an idyllic place you might see in a Hallmark Christmas movie. But sometime around 8 a.m., when people started hitting the roads, this Currier and Ives picture of Pittsburgh was shattered.
Multiple crashes accrued within minutes of one another on several different area roadways. In one accident, more than six cars smashed into each other leaving several vehicles totaled. Luckily, no one was injured.
Down the street at a local gas station, several other cars were towed to safety after sliding off the road. And up the hill in Brookline, this neighborhood lost power when a vehicle crashed into a utility pole.
The cause of all this chaos: icy and untreated roadways.
Seemingly no place in the city had it worse than the neighborhood of Overbrook, where residents witnessed multiple car crashes on this hilly street, one after another all morning long.
"Cars [were] just crashing everywhere and it's been a sheet of ice since this morning," said Megan Young, an Overbrook resident.
"This is the main road. People come through here all the time. We connect to Route 51, so it is absurd that there are cars in people's yards through fences," Joe Baumiller said, another concerned Overbrook resident. "This is what I have been watching all morning. So, it's better than TV, and I have coffee."
"Car in my front yard. The funny story is, there was a giant tree on the corner there last year. It fell. Whipped my fence out. Now, I got to replace my fence again," resident Nate Arnett said.
Within minutes of arriving on the scene, KDKA witnessed several more spinouts and at least two additional fender benders to add to the staggering number of crashes that had already happened. It wasn't until some 30 minutes later that a Pittsburgh police officer and a tow truck arrived to help, but sadly there was not a salt truck to be seen.
Residents said this happens every year but shouldn't.
"We see this every year. They don't treat the hill at all. I mean, sometimes we might see it around nine or 10, we might see something, but it is very rare," Young added.
"Ed Gainey can come to my house. I have coffee for you. And you can sit on the porch and like watch all of this happening because this is absurd," Baumiller added.
As neighbors begin to clean up after this terrible morning, one thing is for sure, if the safety concerns are not addressed in neighborhoods like this, it will be a long and very cold winter for sure.