Hospital ERs Busy Treating Ice Injuries
Slush-Clogged Storm Drains Causing Flooding
POSTED: 6:47 am EST January 29,
2009
UPDATED: 5:28 pm EST January 29,
2009
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BOSTON -- The strong winter storm that dumped more snow and then rain on a winter-weary New England is now far out to sea, but it left behind treacherous ice on roads, roofs and sidewalks, causing damage in some areas.
Hospital ERs Busy Treating Ice InjuriesSome streets were turned into ice rinks Thursday when temperatures dropped after the snow gave way to heavy rain.Doctors at local hospitals were busy seeing patients who slipped on the ice."Change of seasons is overrated, I think, when you have weather like this," Boston Medical Center Dr. Jonathan Olshaker said. "If you have anything more than a bump or bruise, come get things checked out."A Boston school bus with children on board skidded into a pole in Mattapan on Cummins Highway about 9 a.m. No passengers were hurt. The scene was repeated all across southeastern Massachusetts."Sidewalks are very, very slippery, particularly at the end. I think I just about bit it about 12 times on my walk to work this morning," one pedestrian said.Plows clearing snow also covered storm drains with ice and slush, clogging them and causing flooding in several areas. A portion of Interstate 495 in Tewksbury had to be closed Wednesday night because of standing water.More than 70 schools and businesses closed were closed or delayed again Thursday morning as the region worked to recover from the storm, which dumped as much as 6 inches of snow on the state, while other areas saw freezing rain.Heavy snow combined with rain and ice took its toll on roofs around the region, with a roof on a Forest Street home in Byfield, Mass., caving in Wednesday under the weight. The family was not home at the time.The building commissioner in Newbury, Mass., said homeowners need to make sure they remove snow before they have larger problems."Anyone with a low-pitch roof or a flat roof that hasn't done any snow clearing there is potential for further damage, or for the houses or businesses to collapse," Sam Joslin said.Officials are also asking residents to try to clear storm drains in their neighborhoods. Crews were out all night across the region trying to unclog systems.The winter weather made for a terrifying ride on the Massachusetts Turnpike near Auburn, Mass., for a bus driver and some students. Snow came crashing down from an overpass, shattering the windshield of their bus.Thirty-five elementary school students were traveling from Brooklyn, N.Y., to Boston on a class trip. The bus driver said he's never seen anything like it. He said glass shattered all over him."It was sounding like a big explosion. I cannot even tell you how loud it was," driver Walter Pavievich said.Authorities said a plow may have dumped the snow on the bus. The students did make it safely to Boston on another bus.
Hospital ERs Busy Treating Ice InjuriesSome streets were turned into ice rinks Thursday when temperatures dropped after the snow gave way to heavy rain.Doctors at local hospitals were busy seeing patients who slipped on the ice."Change of seasons is overrated, I think, when you have weather like this," Boston Medical Center Dr. Jonathan Olshaker said. "If you have anything more than a bump or bruise, come get things checked out."A Boston school bus with children on board skidded into a pole in Mattapan on Cummins Highway about 9 a.m. No passengers were hurt. The scene was repeated all across southeastern Massachusetts."Sidewalks are very, very slippery, particularly at the end. I think I just about bit it about 12 times on my walk to work this morning," one pedestrian said.Plows clearing snow also covered storm drains with ice and slush, clogging them and causing flooding in several areas. A portion of Interstate 495 in Tewksbury had to be closed Wednesday night because of standing water.More than 70 schools and businesses closed were closed or delayed again Thursday morning as the region worked to recover from the storm, which dumped as much as 6 inches of snow on the state, while other areas saw freezing rain.Heavy snow combined with rain and ice took its toll on roofs around the region, with a roof on a Forest Street home in Byfield, Mass., caving in Wednesday under the weight. The family was not home at the time.The building commissioner in Newbury, Mass., said homeowners need to make sure they remove snow before they have larger problems."Anyone with a low-pitch roof or a flat roof that hasn't done any snow clearing there is potential for further damage, or for the houses or businesses to collapse," Sam Joslin said.Officials are also asking residents to try to clear storm drains in their neighborhoods. Crews were out all night across the region trying to unclog systems.The winter weather made for a terrifying ride on the Massachusetts Turnpike near Auburn, Mass., for a bus driver and some students. Snow came crashing down from an overpass, shattering the windshield of their bus.Thirty-five elementary school students were traveling from Brooklyn, N.Y., to Boston on a class trip. The bus driver said he's never seen anything like it. He said glass shattered all over him."It was sounding like a big explosion. I cannot even tell you how loud it was," driver Walter Pavievich said.Authorities said a plow may have dumped the snow on the bus. The students did make it safely to Boston on another bus. Copyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
