Homewood Fire Dept. extricates driver from scary accident during frigid weather

HOMEWOOD, Ala. (WBRC) - Homewood first responders say Tuesday morning’s cold weather kept them busy with dozens of accidents. Thankfully, no one was severely injured, but one driver was stuck inside her vehicle. Her car flipped on a bridge on I-65 near Lakeshore, leaving her trapped inside.

Homewood Fire Department says thankfully, a bystander was able to cut the driver’s seatbelt, but she was still stuck inside. Once they arrived on the scene, they got her out, and now they’re warning us all about the dangers of driving on icy roadways.

Captain Mark Shannon says you should check roadways before getting behind the wheel. If you see reports about ice or snow, you should stay home. They want drivers to understand you can’t take a chance on the roads in this weather, and if you do, you’re putting yourself and first responders in danger.

“Four-wheel drive, all-wheel drive cars, so even if you’re from up north, you say, ‘Hey, I can drive in the snow.’ It’s not the same snow in Alabama that we have up north,” adds Shannon. “It’s typically ice, and nothing goes well on ice. If you throw ice in the mix and the US is on the side of the road, it makes it even worse for us. It only takes a split second for a car or a tractor-trailer to start sliding, and they’re into our scene that we’re working.”

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