A rare snowstorm across the South caused fatal car crashes and over 1,000 fender-benders, turning highways in in Atlanta, Ga. into parking lots, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Schools and businesses were closed in the early afternoon hours on Tuesday, sending thousands of people on the road at once, AP says. Cold, snowy, and icy conditions paired with a surplus of vehicles created a breeding ground for traffic accidents that caused traffic jams on Atlanta highways, the story notes. Students spent the night on buses or at schools, commuters abandoned their cars or idled in them all night, and the highways-turned-parking lots iced over, creating the treacherous traffic jam, according to the story.
It wasn't clear exactly how many people were still stranded on the roads Wednesday morning, says AP. Authorities worked to get food, water, gas and blankets to people still stranded in their cars and National Guard vehicles and police were there to escort home the thousands of children who were still at schools.
At right, abandoned cars at I-75 headed northbound near the Chattahoochee River overpass are piled up in the median of the ice-covered interstate after a winter snow storm, Wed., Jan. 29, in Atlanta. (AP Photo)
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
