Roadways treacherous with blowing snow in many Chicago suburbs
OAK LAWN, Ill. (CBS) -- The winter storm and subsequent extreme cold made for difficult travel in the southwest suburbs Thursday night.
As CBS 2's Jermont Terry reported, drivers were being very careful on Cicero Avenue near 111th Street. Most of the snow was plowed off the road, only to be blown back in by strong and frigid winds.
The airstream in the southwest suburbs brought disrespectful wind gusts – making the roads in Oak Lawn less than pleasant. Most people who were out in it would not have chosen to be.
"It's ugly, man. It's slippery. It's dangerous," said Jerry Colon. "Do your shopping now before the weather gets worse."
Final grocery shopping was what forced many to venture out in such inclement conditions.
Patrick Daly does not have four-wheel drive on his pickup truck, so sandbags are a must. He ran into some trouble without them earlier.
"It's pretty horrible. I was sliding. I was sliding on turns," Daly said. "I saw a truck almost slide off."
A semi did lose control along the Tri-State Tollway in far north suburban Gurnee. The rig hit a person who was assessing damage from a previous accident.
The person was standing outside the car when the semi slid in their direction. Emergency crews rushed the person to the hospital.
Over in northwest suburban Des Plaines, the icy roads led to a frantic water rescue. A pickup truck ended up in a pond on Howard Avenue and South Mount Prospect Road.
The vehicle broke the ice on the frozen pond, leaving the pickup submerged with only the tail visible.
Divers saved the driver, who also went to the hospital after the frightening drive. The driver's condition was not known.
Back in Oak Lawn, police said they dealt with a few minor accidents – close to 10 or 15 throughout the evening. They are hoping people will take heed and give the plows enough time to clear the snow away, while realizing that it keeps blowing back on the roadways.
