Published Tuesday, January 7, 2003
into skating rinks
The snow that started falling over the weekend and continued Monday was blamed for many traffic accidents around Mercer County.
Mercer County 911 handled calls for about 25 weather-related accidents on Monday, a supervisor said. State police responded to "two or three" accidents on Monday due to weather, a spokeswoman said.
Highland Road in Sharon was a sheet of ice by late afternoon, and other roads in the city were slick and treacherous. Many motorists reported the roads had not been salted, but Sharon Mayor David Ryan said road crews had been out since 4 p.m. Most main roads were salted by evening.
Two local men were treated at the hospital of Sharon Regional Health System after being trapped inside a sport utility vehicle that overturned early Monday in Hubbard Township, the Ohio State Patrol said.
Jarrett Santagata of Hubbard was driving on Chestnut Ridge Road when his vehicle flipped over and spun off the road, reports said. He and a Hermitage man, who was unidentified, were trapped inside and had to be pulled from the wreckage, reports said.
A Jamestown-area woman and her daughter were treated at UPMC Horizon, Greenville, after a crash at 1:55 a.m. Saturday on state Route 58 near Tanner Road in West Salem Township, Greenville-West Salem Township police said.
Susan A. Bursby of 4482 E. Lake Road was traveling south near the Greene Township line when she lost control of her vehicle on ice and slush. The vehicle crossed the northbound lane and hit an embankment before it overturned, police said.
State police responded to eight traffic accidents Sunday.
Sarah Datt, 51, and Heather Datt, 24, both of 324 S. Main St., Harrisville, were treated at United Community Hospital, Pine Township, after the older woman lost control of her car at 3:45 p.m. on state Route 58 in Pine Township, police said. Her car went off the road, hit a mailbox, went into a ditch and flipped onto its roof, police said.
Thomas M. Smith, 45, of 777 Bradley Road, Stoneboro, and Mary C. Bengs, 41, of 2088 Leesburg-Grove City Road, Springfield Township, were treated at United Community Hospital after a two-car crash on state Route 173 in Wolf Creek Township, police said. Smith's car was northbound when it slid on the ice- and snow-covered road, crossed the center line and hit the car driven by Ms. Bengs, police said.
Pamela Bailey of 24 Bailey Lane, Mercer, was treated at United Community Hospital after a van accident at 1:01 p.m. on state Route 258 in Findley Township, police said. Ms. Bailey's van was traveling south when it slid off the road and hit a tree, police said.
Amanda J. Felski, 23, of Warren, Ohio, was treated at the hospital of Jameson Health System, New Castle, after she lost control of her sport utility vehicle at 5:15 p.m. on Topper Hill Road in Pulaksi Township, police said. Her car slid off the road and hit a tree, police said.
Police did not say if Leigh C. Wheeler, 28, of Sandy Lake, was injured at 1:30 p.m. when he lost control of his car on snow-covered Georgetown Road in Mill Creek Township. Wheeler's car went off the berm, up an embankment and hit some trees, police said.
Sean P. Morgan, 30, of 301 Depot St., Jamestown, was traveling on state Route 58 at 2 a.m. when his car went off the road and hit a utility pole, police said. Police did not say if Morgan was injured.
Police also didn't say if Xin Chen of Ameherst, Ohio, was injured at 12:30 p.m. when he lost control of his car on slippery Interstate 80 in Shenango Township. The vehicle hit a guardrail and went down an embankment, investigators said.
Hermitage police said they investigated several accidents, but no one was injured. South Pymatuning Township police also reported several "fender-benders" due to weather, but no injuries.