| Passenger car, Dixon ambulance both hit Saturday in crash on Highway O |
By: Darrell Todd Maurina
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Posted: Monday, December 21, 2009 11:59 pm
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MoDOT snowplows arrived to clear Highway O after a Saturday morning crash.
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DIXON, Mo. (Dec. 21, 2009) — The first winter weather crash in Pulaski County happened Saturday morning on slippery roads south of Dixon and damaged not only a passenger car but also an ambulance sent to rescue the car’s driver.
Cpl. M Hedrick of the Missouri State Highway Patrol joined Dixon firefighters and Dixon Ambulance District personnel responding to a single-vehicle slideoff on Highway O about 2.5 miles south of Dixon that left a white 2008 Pontiac G6 partway down an embankment at a low water crossing. According to the state patrol report, Sommer M. Heidle, 21, of Dixon, had been northbound on Highway O when she tried to avoid another vehicle at 7:25 a.m., skidded on the snow-covered roadway, ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a highway sign and culvert.
The force of the impact knocked the sign into the water and caused extensive damage to the car but only minor injuries to Heidle, troopers reported. She had been wearing her seat belt.
When Dixon Ambulance District personnel responded, they became stuck in a roadside ditch on the opposite side of Highway O and their ambulance sustained minor damage when hit by another car, Hedrick said.
“As they were trying to turn around, they lost control and went into the ditch,” Hedrick said.
Citations are pending in the crash, Hedrick said; nobody was injured and both the ambulance and the second car were able to be driven from the scene.
Heidle was eventually transported by Dixon Ambulance District personnel to Phelps County Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Winter weather driving can be difficult, Hedrick said, and requires caution.
“You’ve just got to get the people to slow down,” Hedrick said. “Go slow enough for the condition of the roadway … give yourself plenty of time to get from point A to point B or you may not get there at all.”
It’s also important to make sure there’s enough gas in the tank before starting out, Hedrick said, since if a car becomes stuck it may take considerable time for troopers and tow trucks to reach stranded motorists.
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