First Major Snowfall of The Season Leads To Dozens of Crashes

No serious injuries were reported, but Cedar Rapids police said they responded to 48 accident reports in the three hours between 7 and 10 a.m. Thursday morning.

City snowplows began an all-night operation Wednesday night as conditions were expected to, and did,  deteriorate into Thursday morning after an early-season blast of several inches of snow barrelled down on the area.

The Iowa Department of Transportation deployed about 240 of its plows early Thursday morning as well.

One incident saw a jackknifed truck shut down traffic on I-380 near Toddville for almost 2 hours.

Another crash on Mt. Vernon Rd. just east of Cedar Rapids, was shut down overnight as power lines were knocked down from a crash there.

A 26-year-old woman lost control of her vehicle on Mt. Vernon Rd. near Bertram Road. She was not hurt and the road reopened around just after 9 a.m.

We've all been feeling a little shell-shocked at a pair of pre-Halloween winter weather events this week, but the Iowa Department Of Transportation encourages the use of seat belts as you slow down and allow space between you and other vehicles during potentially slick and dangerous road conditions.

[Via Gazette]