Freezing precipitation catches drivers off guard Tuesday

A wintry mix of freezing drizzle and light snow that hit the area Tuesday led to several vehicle slide-offs and accidents throughout Bourbon County, keeping local emergency response agencies busy throughout the day.

Fort Scott Police Department Chief Travis Shelton said Thursday the FSPD has taken reports of several vehicle incidents since Tuesday, but nothing serious was reported.

"There were no injuries," he said. "There were several sliding into cars and fender benders that were all weather-related."

Shelton said there were reports of six vehicle accidents on Tuesday and a report of one additional non-injury accident on Wednesday. One accident on Tuesday involved cars sliding into each other near Main and Ninth streets by Fort Scott High School.

Shelton said classes for USD 234 did not let out early Tuesday, which he said was a "good thing" as it gave time for city street crews to treat roads before students headed home from school.

"The roads were in much better shape when school let out at 3 p.m.," he said.

USD 234 and USD 235 schools were closed Wednesday due to weather but school was in session in both districts Thursday.

Shelton said FSPD officers did not run into problems with their own vehicles, mainly due to the upgraded Police Interceptors the department has used since 2015. The SUVs replaced Crown Victorias the department previously used.

"There is all-wheel drive on those SUVs, and we get around much better than those old Crown Vics," he said.

Bourbon County Sheriff Bill Martin said Wednesday the BCSO took reports of 10 vehicle accidents on Tuesday and a report of one slide-off on Wednesday. He said some accidents involved two vehicles and some involved three vehicles but there was "nothing serious."

"There were a lot of accidents due to the ice," he said. "When the storm moved through, there were 10 accidents through a three-hour period (Tuesday), all over the county."

Martin said an individual involved in one accident "claimed an injury" but as of Wednesday, the report on that accident had not been completed. He said a majority of the accidents occurred on U.S. Highway 69.

Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou said there were also several medical runs for emergency personnel on Tuesday, on top of the vehicle accidents that occurred due to the weather. He said there were "a lot" of reports of slips and falls due to the slick weather.

"Through that whole thing, there were a lot of wrecks and tons of cars in the ditch," Ballou said. "It was pretty much a standard event for what we expect. We had our normal medical run assists and an ambulance helping Mercy with stuff. It was a busy time but kind of expected."

Ballou said local law enforcement, fire and Mercy EMS personnel work to stay aware of weather events and anticipate high call volumes.

First responders work to prioritize calls when resources are needed at several different locations at the same time.

"We expect a high volume of calls and usually get them," Ballou said. "We take resources and don't tie them up any longer than you have to."

Martin said the high number of calls received sometimes creates confusion with first responders but recent weather events were handled smoothly.

"It does create an issue with priority and who is dispatched where," he said. "It's kind of a headache for administrators as far as where services are needed. Everything was handled. It might take awhile for us to get there but everyone got the services they needed."