Icy roads have drivers sliding, police jumping

Tow truck operators discuss the best strategy to pull a conversion van out of a ditch without causing more damage to it after the vehicle slid of the road and came to rest against a tree Wednesday at the intersection of J.M. Montoya Boulevard and Marguerite Franco Street in Gallup. The snow prompted school officials to cancel the Gallup girls basketball game and the Wingate High wrestling meet. [Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent]

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

Gallup firefighters check on the driver of a car that was hit Wednesday evening by a Pizza Hut delivery vehicle and knocked over a light pole at the intersection of Park Avenue and South Second Street in Gallup. The driver of the car was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure but was reported to have no significant injuries. [Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent]

GALLUP — Wednesday morning's short-lived snowfall was little more than an inconvenience for most area motorists.

Wednesday night's snow and this morning's ice are another matter.

Despite initial reports of slick and hazardous roads at about 10 a.m. Wednesday, the Gallup Police Department responded to less than half a dozen accidents as a result of the snowy and slushy conditions; however, police were prepared for the worst.

"I was actually expecting more accidents," Investigator Erin Toadlena-Pablo, a spokeswoman for the Gallup Police Department, said.

The most serious of the accidents occurred at the 700 block of East Wilson at about 10:45 a.m. just as the snow and rain mixture began to accumulate on the roadways.

Toadlena-Pablo said 51-year-old Geneva Urbia, of Gallup, lost control of her vehicle and slid into a nearby embankment. Officials say the vehicle would have rolled if a tree had not stopped the vehicle's movement. Slick road conditions reportedly caused the non-injury accident, police said.

Another minor accident was reported at about 5:15 p.m. when a pizza delivery vehicle hit a car and knocked down a light pole. One person was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Things weren't so calm today, however.

Wednesday's melting snow and slush became today's ice, causing traffic snarls and school delays in the Gallup area.

Emergency radio channels buzzed this morning as police and rescue units tried to keep up with a number of crashes, fender-benders and minor mishaps on area roadways. Law enforcement agencies were also responding to several more serious accidents including a rollover on Interstate 40 near Mile Marker 29.

Also, I-40 near Grants was closed temporarily this morning due to a three-vehicle accident.

Despite road surfaces so icy they glistened, many motorists refused to slow down. Emergency responders were forced to dodge speeding and out-of-control vehicles as they attempted to assist victims at crash sites.

Area schools weren't taking any chances.

Wingate High and Gallup High canceled athletic events Wednesday night. Classes at Western New Mexico University were also called off Wednesday.

Gallup-McKinley County schools started classes two hours late today due to poor road conditions and an 18-school spelling bee scheduled for this morning at Kennedy Middle School was postponed.

Ray Martin, a meteorologist for Accuweather, said Gallup's winter weather is part of an upper level disturbance that has made its way inland from the Pacific. In a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon, Martin predicted the area could receive up to 4 to 6 inches of snow by this morning. Areas located at higher elevations should expect more snow, he said.

Most areas around Gallup received about two inches of snow.