High winds lead to three crashes in Washoe Valley
Trooper Chuck Allen from the Nevada Highway Patrol reports that in spite the combination of very high winds and snow in Washoe Valley, only three accidents were reported.
He released this statement:
Despite the strong winds and blowing snow this morning, particularly in the Washoe valley area, our agency only investigated three crashes in the four-hour time frame between 5:00 and 9:00 am. All three were non-injury events with weather being a contributing factor in two of them. The weather-related crashes both took place in the Washoe Valley area between 8:30 and 9:00 am.
The first involved a blue pickup about 1 mile north of the Bellevue overpass. The driver was traveling southbound at a speed too fast for conditions due to snow covered roads and strong westerly winds when his vehicle departed the travel lane and rolled over onto its top in the center median area. He was cited for the accident due to speed too fast for conditions.
Shortly before 9:00 am, the driver of an eighteen-wheeled big rig was traveling northbound on the alternate route through Washoe Valley, State Route 429, and was involved in a collision when his empty box-type trailer was pushed by the winds into the adjacent section of guardrail. The trailer came to rest on top of the guardrail and a heavy duty tow tuck was dispatched. Temporary traffic control was established as only one lane was accessible around the disabled unit.