Two Minor Injuries, Several Slideoffs from Snowstorm

Missouri Highway Patrol Troop H reported only two minor injuries in two different accidents during the snowstorm Wednesday morning. In one, the Patrol reports that a 2007 International Semi driven by Eddie Phillips (66) of Wheatland, MO was northbound on I-35 at around 5:30 am when he slid off the west side of the roadway into the median five miles north of Bethany. The vehicle came to rest upright facing southwest in the median. Phillips received minor injuries in the accident.

In the other accident, the Patrol reports that a 2009 Ford E-350 driven by Paul Goss (61) of Raytown, MO was northbound in the driving lane of Interstate 29 and a 2006 Volvo Tractor Trailer driven by Nadim Mamedov (23) of Portland, OR was northbound in the passing lane at around 8:47 am three miles north of Savannah. Goss lost control of his vehicle on the ice covered roadway and slid across the center line, striking the Volvo. Both vehicles came to rest on their wheels off of the roadway. Goss received minor injuries.

Worth County Sheriff Terry Sheddrick said that he had no reports of slideoffs that morning and that everyone had been driving very carefully in the snow-covered conditions. The snowstorm was at its height between 4 and 7 am before tapering off during the morning hours. There were at least two slideoffs on 136 that morning, one tractor trailer slideoff on northbound I-35 that closed the right lane of traffic briefly near the Gallatin exit, and at least one on Route 6 near Gallatin; tow trucks were active that morning. By around 10, roads were starting to clear although treacherous conditions persisted on 46 between Ravenwood and Parnell into the afternoon, causing a tire truck to slide off at around 1:30 that afternoon just east of the Hatfield McCoy road..

The snowstorm had been preceded by near-record high temperatures the day before at around 72 degrees, followed by rains through much of the evening. In Sheridan, the rains stopped at around 11 pm before turning over to snow during the nights. Sustained winds were as high as 20-30 miles per hour for most of the morning.

Neither Worth County nor Northeast Nodaway had school Wednesday morning. Both schools will make up the snow day at a later time.

The storm will likely be beneficial to the Sheridan Water System. Mayor Leland Wake said Wednesday that the water system had been holding up well despite the dry conditions.