Stranded vehicles slow work to clear northern Indiana roads
LOWELL, Ind. (AP) - Stranded cars and semitrailers along with blowing snow and drifts were hampering efforts Thursday to open several roads in northwestern Indiana after up to 15 inches fell.
"It's been described as a graveyard out there," INDOT spokesman Doug Moats said. "They're going vehicle by vehicle, getting them out."
No one is believed to be in any of the stranded vehicles, Moats said.
In Illinois, vehicles had been stranded on Route 17 near the village of Grant Park on Wednesday and early Thursday, but traffic was moving again by Thursday afternoon, Illinois Department of Transport spokeswoman Gianna Urgo said.
Moats said crews in Indiana hoped to have roads re-opened by Thursday evening, but described the work as "slow going."
Among the roads closed were Indiana 2 near Hebron, 25 miles southeast of Gary; U.S. 20 near South Bend; Indiana 16 in Newton and Jasper Counties; Indiana 8 in Porter County and U.S. 231 in Lake County.
The National Weather Service reports Hobart, Crown Point and Lakes of the Four Seasons in Lake County received the most snowfall at 15 inches, Trail Creek in LaPorte County had 14 inches and Nappanee in Elkhart County got 12 inches.
The storm also led to a three-vehicle crash on a snowy roadway in southern Michigan on Wednesday that killed 6-year-old Harlyn Radley. Investigators say a car driven by the child's mother lost control and collided with another vehicle in Calhoun County's Leroy Township, near Battle Creek. A third vehicle then struck the wreckage. Police say the mother and the driver of one of the other vehicles were injured.
Barb Matthias was among those who became stranded overnight on Route 17 near the Illinois village of Grant Park. She said she was on her way home from work Wednesday afternoon when the snow plow she was following got stuck. Another plow came to help but got stuck as well. Both plows were dug out around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, but Matthias remained trapped by several cars and semis left blocking the road.
Firefighters brought some drivers to a warming station, but Matthias stuck it out, telling ABC7 Chicago (WLS-TV) Thursday morning that she was doing fine.
"Well the winds died down," she said by phone from her car. "The snow's not blowing as bad."
The heavy snow also forced the South Shore Line commuter rail between Chicago and northern Indiana to suspend service for more than four hours Thursday morning. Spokesman John Parsons said nine rush-hour trains were canceled because of Northern Indiana Public Service Co. power outages.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security reported five counties in northern Indiana were under travel warnings late Thursday afternoon, meaning only emergency management workers should be on roads. Seveen more counties were under watches, meaning only essential travel was recommended, and 18 were under advisories, recommending drivers use caution.