Western Pennsylvania’s first widespread, accumulating snow event of the season arrived on Tuesday causing some problems on area roadways.
The first reported accident in Butler County of the morning involved a snow plow.
Chief of the Bruin Fire Department Eric Feicht said the two-vehicle accident happened at 6:30 a.m. on West Eldorado Road in Parker Township, about one mile off Route 38.
“A municipal snow plow had become disabled and was struck by a sedan traveling in the opposite direction,” Feicht said in an interview.
According to Feicht, it wasn’t a head-on crash; the two vehicles’ sides collided.
One of the people inside the sedan was hurt and taken to the hospital in a private vehicle.
The crash was likely due to snow-covered roads.
“A heavy squall came through and dumped substantial snowfall rather quickly,” he said.
A portion of West Eldorado Road was shut down for about an hour until crews could clear the crash.
Several other accidents were reported Tuesday morning.
At 7 a.m., there was a crash on Glen Eden Road in Cranberry Township. One person was reportedly trapped in a vehicle.
Shortly after 7 a.m., a vehicle reportedly slid off South Oliver Avenue in Zelienople. There were no reported injuries.
At 9 a.m., police closed a portion of Whitestown Road in Butler Township was closed, between Acre Avenue and Fairground Hill Road, due to reports of a vehicle stuck on Villa Drive. Roads in the area were slick and salt trucks were out making their rounds. There was at least one disabled vehicle that slid off a road in Highfield.
The weather is expected to turn frigid Tueday afternoon with strong winds and temperatures dropping into the teens. Places along and just north of Interstate 80 will see the largest impact from lake effect snow with some isolated spots seeing snow totals of up to 5 inches.
The National Weather Service has issued a couple of warnings and advisories for counties north of Butler County. The most urgent is a Lake Effect Snow Warning in effect for Clarion, Forest and Venango counties. That warning continues through 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Forecasters say Tuesday’s snow is the result of the first of three potential clipper lows to impact western Pennsylvania through Friday.
