Snow impacting drivers, residents in Oklahoma City
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - As the snowfall came to an end Friday morning, there was still the threat of slick spots on the roadways.
“Still a little slick, slushy,” said Stephen Green, an OKC driver. “So you want to be careful.”
Side streets that aren’t part of the city’s snow route are where most Oklahomans had trouble.
“The ice trucks haven’t hit the neighborhoods yet,” said Green.
Meanwhile, on Thursday EMSA responded to 40 weather related car accidents. 12 patients were taken to the hospital.
"The first winter weather event of the season, it is always a little chaotic, because people have forgotten how to drive on snow or ice,” said Adam Paluka, a spokesman for EMSA. “I think a lot of people were not well prepared for it."
Paluka said medics also rushed to five calls for cold exposure. Four of those patients went to the hospital for treatment.
"Those numbers are especially concerning,” said Paluka. “If they're taken to the hospital for cold exposure, like, it definitely means that they're, you know, in the early stages of frostbite or hypothermia, and it's pretty serious."
The warning signs of hypothermia include:
- Slurred Speech
- Shallow Breathing
- Weak Pulse
- Lack of Coordination