Slick conditions took the Wichita riders by surprise on Friday. It led to several crashes and lengthy backups.
The largest of these was a 10-car crash on I-235. Emergency crews say it was all caused by the freezing rain that started just before rush hour.
People we spoke to on Friday said they couldn’t believe how freezing it was when they were leaving work.
“When I got to work it was dry. And when I got home from work there was ice everywhere,” said Wichita resident Kyle Ryan. Shortly after three in the afternoon on Friday, a freezing rain wreaked havoc on the highways around Wichita.
“Going past 235 on the meridian all you saw was an overturned car here. And you look down on Broadway and there are upside-down cars over there,” Ryan said.
A 10-car crash on I-235 and Broadway held up traffic for miles. But that was just the beginning.
“I would say in all probably 235. I think we had six to 7 that all went together. Most of them had multiple vehicles,” said Trooper Chad Crittenden, the public information officer for the Kansas Highway Patrol.
There was also this incident on I-135 and K-96. Fortunately, there are no reports of serious injuries in any of these incidents.
Meanwhile, some folks who work in east Wichita didn’t realize how freezing it was until they got home from work.
“I noticed my driveway was quite slippery, as was the sidewalk at my house. I didn’t know what happened today,” said Wichita resident Jessica Barrientos.
Police say no one was seriously injured in all of Friday’s incidents.
