Well, I knew it was bad Saturday morning, but had not realized quite how bad until I saw the papers from the last two days. We were very lucky to have not gotten into an accident, and it drives me batty to think that Bill had driven himself to the high school on those crappy roads well before dawn! My hopes and prayers are with the injured people and with their families. 
http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-16/113671863248550.xml?aanews?NEA&coll=2
Icy roads lead to crashes
Firefighter among the injured in Saturday's hazardous conditions Sunday, January 08, 2006 BY AMALIE NASH
News Staff Reporter
Ann Arbor-area road conditions turned dangerous without warning Saturday morning, when freezing drizzle coated roads with ice, sending dozens of vehicles spinning into ditches and crashing into each other.
An Ann Arbor firefighter was critically injured when she was struck by a pickup truck as she and other firefighters were attempting to assist motorists involved in a series of crashes on an icy freeway in Ann Arbor.
It was one of at least two crashes that critically injured people in Washtenaw County as a result of drizzle that quickly froze on the roads. From 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., State Police were dispatched to 93 crashes on the expressways, and Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputies handled 40 crashes on secondary roadways, Sheriff's Cmdr. Dave Egeler said.
At one point, police shut down I-94 and US-23 in both directions as they waited for salt trucks because road conditions were so hazardous.
Ann Arbor firefighter Amy Schnearle, 34, had just started her shift at 7 a.m. at the department's Jackson Road station when a call came in about a series of crashes involving 13 vehicles on eastbound I-94 near Jackson Road, Battalion Chief Mike French said.
Firefighters parked their truck on the entrance ramp, and Schnearle and firefighter Craig Ferris were approaching a vehicle involved in a crash when a pickup truck spun out of control on ice, French said. The pickup careened into the median wall, slid across the expressway into one of the vehicles involved in aprevious crash and then struck Schnearle from behind, French said.
Ferris was able to jump out of the way, but Schnearle did not see the vehicle coming and was thrown into a ditch, French said.
"It happened in just a couple seconds,'' French said. "It was a good thing the truck hit the median and other car first because it was going pretty fast, and that slowed it down.''
Officials estimate the truck was traveling 40 to 50 mph when it hit Schnearle. She was rushed to the University of Michigan Medical Center with critical injuries.
At least two other motorists were injured in crashes on eastbound I-94 near where Schnearle was injured, and one was transported to the hospital, French said.
I-94 was closed in both directions from Ann Arbor-Saline to Zeeb Road for about five hours, until early afternoon.
Schnearle, a seven-year veteran of the department, was dressed in full fire gear and wearing her helmet when she was hit.
Family members and firefighters gathered at the hospital awaiting word on her condition, but French said it will likely be 24 to 72 hours before the full extent of her injuries are known. It's unclear if the pickup truck driver was injured in the crash, but members of his family also visited the hospital to check on Schnearle.
City Administrator Roger Fraser stopped a retreat with the City Council on Saturday to inform them of the accident and update them on Schnearle's injuries.
"It's pretty quiet here, and everyone is just hoping and waiting,'' French said from the station Saturday afternoon. "It's pretty serious when one of our own gets hurt. It sounds like it was nothing but a total accident from the sudden change into ice.''
Elsewhere around the area, the other critical injury accident occurred around 9 a.m. on Carpenter Road south of Merritt Road in Pittsfield Township. A 35-year-old Saline man was northbound on Carpenter Road and was attempting to pass vehicles when he realized he didn't have time and hit the brakes, said Pittsfield police Lt. Bill Grefka.
The man's car slid sideways and was struck on the passenger's side by a southbound vehicle, Grefka said. The man was pinned in his vehicle and freed by firefighters, who cut off the top of the car. The woman in the other vehicle was also injured, but her injuries were not life-threatening, Grefka said. Both were transported to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, and the man, whose name was not released,was in critical condition, Grefka said.
"He was driving too fast, and passing in bad conditions,'' Grefka said. "The air bags went off in the car, but there's not a lot of protection in a side-impact crash.''
Earlier in the morning, around 7, State Police Trooper Brian Keely said he was forced to shut down US-23 in both directions near Huron River Drive after witnessing several crashes, including a rollover in which a woman was ejected from her vehicle.
Keely was on the expressway responding to a crash on northbound US-23 and a citizen stopped to assist. Another vehicle - a GMC Envoy - spun out of control, nearly striking the police car and the pedestrian, Keely said. The SUV then overturned, and the woman was ejected through a broken window. The vehicle came to a rest in the southbound lanes.
The woman, who suffered serious facial lacerations in the rollover, told Keely she was switching lanes because she saw the police car and lost control on ice. A minute later, a semi-truck struck a vehicle.
"She was very, very lucky,'' Keely said. "You couldn't even walk on the road it was so icy. People were complaining when I shut it down, but I couldn't in good conscience let people drive on it until we got some salt trucks out.''
A jack-knifed truck that ran into several military Humvee vehicles at the east triple-exit interchange on northbound US-23 resulted in several minor injuries, said Capt. Lewis Kempf of the Ann Arbor Township Fire Department. Portions of M-14 were closed for a short time.
US-23 was reopened around 10 a.m. when salt trucks arrived, and the county Road Commission reported salt trucks were out in full force by that time.
State Police Sgt. Leland Taylor of the Brighton Post reported about 40 to 50 minor accidents on area highways in the Brighton area.
The hazardous conditions resulted from a light snow and freezing drizzle that coated the roadways with ice as the temperatures dipped into the upper-20s, said meteorologist Bill Deedler of the National Weather Service in White Lake Township.
The drizzle was not unexpected, but lasted longer than anticipated, Deedler said. "Normally it's not as much of a problem if the temperature is at 31 or 32 and keeps the roads warm enough, but when it was in the upper 20s, it stuck like glue,'' Deedler said.
By Saturday evening, the hazardous conditions had moved through, and today's forecast called for light rain and temperatures in the mid- to upper-30s. Trooper Thomas Proffitt of the state police post in Ypsilanti Township said motorists should avoid two things when roads are slippery and if they are approaching a crash scene with flashing lights ahead: "Don't slam down the brakes and don't panic. Just take the foot off the pedal and slow down,'' he said.
Lt. Vick Chevrette of the Ypsilanti Township Fire Department, which was kept busy with roadway rescue runs, said bridges and overpasses are particularly slippery. His advice: "Use caution. If you don't have to be out, stay home.''
http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-16/1136821246284680.xml&coll=2
Two listed critical after car crashes on icy roads
Firefighter, swimming coach injured separately on Saturday Monday, January 09, 2006 BY AMALIE NASH AND TRACY DAVIS
News Staff Reporters
Two people injured in separate ice-related traffic crashes Saturday - an Ann Arbor firefighter and a local swimming coach who is a two-time Olympic silver medalist - remained in critical condition this morning.
Ann Arbor firefighter Amy Schnearle, 34, was in critical but stable condition in intensive care at the University of Michigan Medical Center this morning, said Assistant Fire Chief Chris Brenner.
"We're just waiting,'' Brenner said. "It's just a terrible accident and a terrible corner where that happened.''
Schnearle had just arrived at the scene of a series of crashes involving 13 vehicles on icy eastbound I-94 near Jackson Road at about 7 a.m. She was injured when a pickup struck a median wall, slid across the expressway into one of the vehicles involved in a previous crash and then struck Schnearle from behind.
The former national swimming champion, Eric Namesnik, 35, was critically injured around 9 a.m. in Pittsfield Township in another ice-related traffic accident. Namesnik, who is head coach of the Wolverine Aquatics Swim Club in Ann Arbor, remained in critical condition at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.
Wendy Ochoa, president of the board of Wolverine Aquatics, said Namesnik, called "Coach Snik'' at the club, was put in a drug-induced coma Sunday to help relieve pressure on his brain.
"Our No. 1 focus right now is taking care of him and his family,'' she said.
The former University of Michigan swimmer won the silver medal in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics in the 400-meter individual medley. He later spent about eight years coaching the U-M men's team with head coach Jon Urbanchek. In August 2004, he joined the local swim club, Ochoa said.
"I think he finally found his niche, so to speak,'' she said. "He's always wanted to be a head coach, and this provided him a new opportunity and a challenge because he had never coached young kids before. He's just been an amazing leader.''
Police said Namesnik, a resident of York Township, was attempting to pass other vehicles on Carpenter Road south of Merritt Road when he realized he didn't have time to pass and hit the brakes. Namesnik's car spun on ice and was struck on the passenger's side by an oncoming vehicle. Namesnik was trapped in his vehicle and was freed by firefighters.
The crashes were blamed on icy road conditions that caused more than 150 accidents and spin-outs in a time frame of several hours beginning about 6 a.m. Saturday.
Updated: the fire fighter has since passed away as a result of her injuries. She was a hero who died as a result of injuries suffered while on the line of duty, protecting and helping others. May her memory remain bright and clear to all who knew her. The world is obviously a better place because she was once here!
Second update: The swimming coach, and two time Olympic medal winner, has also passed away as a result of his injuries. Two bright lives brought to an end on the ice...
So as soon as I get home from work (he called just as I was brushing my teeth and getting ready to leave for work) I will change that hotel reservation to just Sunday night. And all of a sudden, I am not dreading this anymore. Sometimes just a little change can make life a lot better! 
But given our busy schedules, this is the only way Bill can visit that campus before he is forced to make up his mind about which university to attend. So it will be worth it in the long run. 
That would definitely make the weekend a lot more enjoyable! 
Posts
