Two Sunday morning crashes reported
Despite icy conditions, only a couple of vehicle accidents were reported Sunday morning, and experts expect cold but improved conditions moving forward.
According to Butler County dispatch reports, there were two crashes Sunday morning.
Around 8:37 a.m. crews responded to a crash near 170 Bear Creek Road, Buffalo Township.
Details about the crash were not immediately available, but Buffalo Township and Sarver fire departments cleared the scene about 35 minutes later.
Then at 9:14 a.m., Butler Township and City firefighters were called to a crash on Fairground Hill Road, between the entrances of Family Bowlaway Fun Center and the SheLor School of Dance.
According to Butler Township Chief Kevin Smith, the driver of a pickup truck lost control due to icy conditions and flipped the truck on its side. He said the driver was not injured.
“Fairground Hill was one sheet of ice,” Smith said.
The road, which has a steep hill, was blocked between the top and bottom of the hill. Crews worked to right the truck, and a city maintenance truck arrived to spread additional salt on the hill.
Despite the morning crashes, Christina Gibbs, a spokeswoman for PennDOT District 10, said Saturday night's treatments largely were a success.
“We were lucky yesterday,” Gibbs said Sunday. “Things that were pretreated were able to stay pretreated.”
Gibbs said road crews will continue to monitor weather conditions throughout Sunday as there were initial concerns about rainfall that could wash away treatments.
“Mother Nature is going to dictate what we can do tonight,” she said.
Jared Rackley, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said the rain appeared to come early, giving the moisture on the roads time to dry by the time freezing temperatures arrive Sunday night.
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