SOUTHERN COLORADO – Cleanup is still happening after the latest dumping of snow across several southern Colorado counties.
Slick conditions on roadways brought accidents, crashes, and car trouble.
Brad Bauer, highway maintenance supervisor for the Colorado Department of Transportation, said, “It was pretty crazy. Up in Monument we had anywhere from 7 to 8 inches. Up west we had 8 to 10 inches.”
It’s the kind of snowfall that southern Colorado hasn’t seen for awhile, but one that Bauer and his CDOT crew were prepared for.
“My guys were out on the road beforehand getting ready for the snow to come in. We did have some trouble spots up west.”
It’s an area where Corporal Nick Hazlett of the Colorado State Patrol said accidents and crashes happened. On Monday, unoccupied cars sat still along roadways like Highway 24.
Corporal Hazlett said, “On any roadway in the state of Colorado, whether it’s a snowstorm or not, an owner of a vehicle or a driver of a vehicle has 48 hours to remove the vehicle from the side of the road. What we’ll do and when we first come across a vehicle on the shoulder is we’ll put a 48 hour notice on the vehicle. We call it a red tag or an orange tag.”
If it’s still there after 48 hours it will be towed and you could end up with a hefty fine depending on the tow company.
“For the protection of people’s property, their vehicle specifically, it’s best to just get those things out of there as quickly as possible.”
Let’s say your vehicle was involved in an accident, but no one was hurt. Well, due to the crazy conditions of this snowstorm, counties like El Paso, Teller and Douglas were put on “Cold Reporting” or “Accident Alert” status.
“It serves two purposes…it gives the public the opportunity to fill out that report on their own time frame and get to home, get to safety as soon as possible, and it also gives us the ability to be available for the public if something major was to happen.”
Another reminder from Corporal Hazlett: drive slow, make sure your vehicle is in good condition, and wear your seat belt at all times.
For more information on filling out an accident report CLICK HERE.
