Snowfall of up to 4 inches in Northwest Indiana led to a number of car crashes Tuesday morning, but officials did not report any major injuries.
Indiana State Police Cpl. Dan Becker said he didn’t know how many crashes there were on the interstates but said there were slide-offs across the region.
“The biggest problem is people following too close,” Becker said, stressing that drivers give themselves enough room to react in time.
None of the crashes in the region were as bad as several in other parts of the state. Indiana State Police reported multiple-vehicle crashes on Interstate 70 near Richmond, Interstate 74 near the Indiana-Ohio border and Interstate 65 near Franklin. It wasn’t immediately clear whether any involved serious injuries.
More Top Picks Soccer Goals
According to the National Weather Service, most of the area woke up to 2 to 3 inches of snow, although Dyer recorded 3.8 inches. Wind gusts of up to 30 mph blew around snow throughout the morning.
The Indiana Department of Transportation had plows and salt trucks out throughout Monday night into Tuesday, spokesman Doug Moats said, but an icy patch on Interstate 94 a few miles west of the Chesterton exit caused problems for vehicles.
Moats said crews would continue to work the roads throughout Tuesday to fight wind blowing snow back onto the roads and to help dry out the interstates.
Despite the bad weather into Tuesday, the region has had a milder winter compared with a year ago. Moats said that not counting the salt needed Tuesday, the district has used 15,000 tons of salt so far this winter season. This time a year ago, 32,000 tons of salt was used, he said.
Griffith Police Commander Keith Martin said he wasn’t sure if the weather played a role in a crash that involved a school bus and Griffith Fire Chief Roy Schoon. Martin said that Schoon’s department-issued vehicle and the bus crashed at the corner of Broad and Elm streets at 8:10 a.m. No children were on the bus at the time, and the bus driver was taken to a nearby hospital by a school employee. Martin said that Schoon and another fireman who was riding in the vehicle were taken to the hospital, although their injuries did not appear to be serious.
Martin said police were still investigating what caused the crash.
Gary Police Sgt. Dawn Westerfield said the city saw a few crashes in the early morning although none of them were serious.
“I think we’re not doing too bad (Tuesday),” she said.
Porter County Sgt. Jamie Erow said the county had about five crashes, with some of them involving deer. The crashes all were considered minor.
Weather Forecast
Wednesday: 40 percent chance of light snow in the afternoon, high of 23.
Thursday: Partly sunny with a high of 38.
Friday: A high of 41 with a 60 percent chance of rain.
Source: National Weather Service