Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
It usually takes at least one winter storm for Shawano County motorists to adjust to winter driving, according to authorities, but this week’s early snowfall seemed to catch most motorists by surprise.
The Sheriff’s Department logged 42 accidents during Monday’s snowfall, and another 13 by Tuesday afternoon when the second wave of snow fell.
“It’s typical,” Capt. Tom Tuma said. “We see this every year. It always takes time to get acclimated to winter driving.”
The western end of the county got the brunt of the snowfall, with lighter accumulation on the eastern end.
Most of the accidents were minor, with vehicles sliding into ditches and medians, but at least three accidents on Monday resulted in injuries, including a rollover accident on County Road D in Pella.
The driver in that incident was assisted by a Shawano County Highway Department plow driver who was in the area removing snow at the time.
Elsewhere, the snow was being blamed for a Clintonville School District bus that went off the road Monday morning.
Authorities said four kindergartners, one high school student, the driver and an aide were on board when the bus slipped off a county highway and overturned. The accident happened about 7 a.m. Monday near Bear Creek.
The driver and aide were taken to a New London hospital to be evaluated. The students, who were wearing seat belts, were not injured, according to authorities.
It didn’t help that the storms came at the height of the deer rutting season, when frisky deer are roaming about looking to mate and often end up caught in someone’s headlights. The rut is expected to last at least through the end of the month.
“We’re in the middle of the rut, so we’ve got a couple of things going on,” Tuma said.
Authorities logged at least eight crashes involving deer during the snowstorm. There were 20 deer-related crashes reported the day before the snow started to fall.
Tuma warned that motorists shouldn’t get complacent just because the snow has stopped falling.
Temperatures for the next week are forecast to remain below freezing, which will mean pockets of ice, particularly in the areas of bridges and overpasses.
“Drivers need to be alert to the temperature, slow down and use caution,” Tuma said.