Icy Pavement Leads To Mulitple Accidents, Slideoffs On I-69
By: Kayla Moody
Updated: January 25, 2013
The Friday commute took a slippery start along the new stretch of I-69. Indiana State Police and other agencies responded to several slideoffs and accidents, including one involving a bus carrying a Murray State athletic team.
Several drivers says a stretch of the interstate in Pike County was especially treacherous. While the interstate stayed clear near Evansville, drivers say I-69 took a sudden turn for the worse State Road 61.
"Then it was just one sheet of ice," says Tracy Hover, who drives a semi.
Kelli Potts slid off the road about three miles south of Highway 61, losing control just a few yards away from another slide-off. "I saw the guy trying to tell me to slow down," says Potts. "I thought it was because of the other car up there, like, slow down there's a wreck right here, but then... I was gone."
A good samaritan helped pull Potts out of the ditch. "I'm so grateful," she says, as the man attaches a tow strap to her car. "I don't even know what I would do without him."
Less than a mile away, a bus carrying the Murray State women's track team flipped onto its side, injuring four students. The team was headed to Bloomington for an indoor track meet at Indiana University. Tracy Hover was driving behind the bus in his semi when he saw the accident unfold.
"[The driver] did everything she could, fish-tailed, hit the breaks, she fought it for probably a good half mile then when she hit the grass, the grass helped it flip over," says Hover, who pulled over to help. "I just assisted them, helped them get out of the hatch. You know make sure they didn't fall, and get em away from the vehicle."
The four injured students were taken to Jasper Memorial Hospital and treated for minor injuries.
Troopers also responded to an overturned semi on I-69 in Pike County just north of Highway 61. The driver tells Eyewitness News he slid on black ice and was unable to gain control.
With around a dozen slideoffs and accidents, troopers say the slick new interstate kept them busier Friday than it did when a blizzard tore through the area a few weeks ago.
Several drivers says a stretch of the interstate in Pike County was especially treacherous. While the interstate stayed clear near Evansville, drivers say I-69 took a sudden turn for the worse State Road 61.
"Then it was just one sheet of ice," says Tracy Hover, who drives a semi.
Kelli Potts slid off the road about three miles south of Highway 61, losing control just a few yards away from another slide-off. "I saw the guy trying to tell me to slow down," says Potts. "I thought it was because of the other car up there, like, slow down there's a wreck right here, but then... I was gone."
A good samaritan helped pull Potts out of the ditch. "I'm so grateful," she says, as the man attaches a tow strap to her car. "I don't even know what I would do without him."
Less than a mile away, a bus carrying the Murray State women's track team flipped onto its side, injuring four students. The team was headed to Bloomington for an indoor track meet at Indiana University. Tracy Hover was driving behind the bus in his semi when he saw the accident unfold.
"[The driver] did everything she could, fish-tailed, hit the breaks, she fought it for probably a good half mile then when she hit the grass, the grass helped it flip over," says Hover, who pulled over to help. "I just assisted them, helped them get out of the hatch. You know make sure they didn't fall, and get em away from the vehicle."
The four injured students were taken to Jasper Memorial Hospital and treated for minor injuries.
Troopers also responded to an overturned semi on I-69 in Pike County just north of Highway 61. The driver tells Eyewitness News he slid on black ice and was unable to gain control.
With around a dozen slideoffs and accidents, troopers say the slick new interstate kept them busier Friday than it did when a blizzard tore through the area a few weeks ago.
