Friday, November 7, 2003

WEATHER RELATED COLLISIONS SENDS TWO TO HOSPITAL
Searchmont, Ont.,

The blast of winter weather that blew into the Sault Ste Marie area this morning is being blamed for two separate collisions that sent two people to hospital.

The first collision occurred on Hwy 556 in the Searchmont area. A car was headed toward Searchmont when the driver lost control and went into the ditch. The 20-year-old Sault Ste. Marie woman was transported to Sault and Area Hospital by ambulance with minor injuries.


WAWA MAN INJURED IN COLLISION NEAR MILE HILL
Heyden, Ont.,

This morning’s snowstorm caused driving chaos on the Mile Hill (Hwy 17) in the Heyden area.

At about 9:00 a.m. several tractor trailers got stuck on the hill. Several were jack-knifed in the middle of the highway. Other traffic, both north and southbound, also got stuck on the hill and more transports became jack-knifed. Ministry of Transportation plows and sanders concentrated their efforts on this area in order to clear the multitude of stuck trucks.

OPP were forced to close that portion of Hwy 17 until crews could get the hill cleared. At one point it is estimated that ten transports along with other vehicles were stuck on the hill.

At the same time traffic was backing up at the bottom of the hill. A southbound vehicle was approaching the line of stopped traffic. The man was unable to stop in time and drove into the back of a utility trailer being pulled by a pick up truck.

The car slid under the back end of the trailer and the trailer came up on top of the car and through the windshield and into the front compartment of the car. The car stopped just prior to the trailer hitting the two occupants in the head.

The driver of the car, thirty-eight-year-old Dennis Paquette of Wawa, was transported to Sault and Area Hospital by ambulance. He is being treated for minor injuries.

The highway was re-opened around noon. Snow and blowing snow continues in that area.

Once again OPP are asking people to drive according to the weather conditions and to slow down when road and weather conditions are bad.



WHAT A PLACE TO SPEND THE WINTER
Batchawana First Nation, Ont.,

The Batchawana First Nation Police were called to a home on Nebenaigouching Street after a resident reported a bear in a tree.

A resident of the area first sighted the bear in the tree at about 11:00 a.m. yesterday. He called all the neighbours to let them know of the visitor to the area. At 3:00 p.m. the bear was still in the tree and the Batchawana Police were called.

The Batchawana Police kept an eye on the animal but did not destroy the bruin. As of 9:00 p.m. last night the bear was still in the tree. An officer from the Batchawana Police Service is attending the area this morning to see if the bear left during the night.