Roads are slick demolition derbies
No serious injuries are seen — but plenty of dents and busy officers
"To say there were a few accidents is like saying there are only a few people in China," said Utah County Sheriff Sgt. Spencer Cannon.
By Wednesday afternoon, Utah County officers had responded to 35 accidents — but only a handful of those resulted in injuries, none of which were serious.
The Utah Highway Patrol reported 26 crashes on state highways in Utah County that caused property damage, including six resulting in injuries. There were also 48 accidents in which cars slid off the road.
"That's a huge number of slide-offs," Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Wade Breuer said.
In Orem, there were 13 accidents between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Wednesday. Only one of those caused injuries.
Provo Police Capt. Brad Latham expressed relief that his officers had only been called out to eight accidents because of the weather.
"It's surprisingly few for this kind of weather," he said.
In Springville, there were two rollovers but no serious injuries.
"If the conditions are bad enough, it forces people to drive slower and there aren't as many accidents," Cannon said.
Cities closest to the Wasatch Range, such as Alpine and Payson, received the most snow, while cities in the western part of the county received the least, according to the National Weather Service.
Sundance, the county's sole ski resort, saw 4 inches of new snow.
Forecasters expected another storm Friday that could dump from 2 to 4 inches on the valley floor, and more in elevated areas.
Cannon said drivers should plan early and be patient to avoid accidents.
"It doesn't matter how slow you have to go if you've planned early," he said. "It's always better to arrive late than to have to hurry and end up in an accident."
E-mail: jhyde@desnews.com
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