A driver survived a 70-foot plunge off of a roadway in Wisconsin on Saturday.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation traffic camera recorded the dramatic scene as the pickup truck skidded off an interchange ramp in Milwaukee and plunged onto the roadway below.
The incident is just one of many that have occurred across the Midwest where snow, sub-zero temperatures and freezing rain have created dangerous, icy roadway conditions.
Deputies with the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) responded to the one-car crash at around 9:49 a.m. on Saturday in the westbound distress lane on Interstate 94, the sheriff’s office said in a series of tweets.
When the deputies arrived, they found the red pickup truck that had skidded off the ramp sitting upright in the roadway below.
The driver had lost control of his vehicle as he was driving on the interchange ramp, according to MCSO.
“The vehicle traveled up a snowbank, proceeded over the barrier wall, and descended 70 feet down onto the westbound I-94 distress lane,” the sheriff’s office said.
The driver was conscious, breathing and did not show signs of impairment, according to the sheriff’s office. He was taken to a local hospital by the Milwaukee Fire Department.
More than 380 crashes in Oklahoma
More than 41 million people remain under winter weather alerts that stretch from Oklahoma to Cape Cod, according to CNN Meteorologist Michael Guy.
A long-duration cold wave across the Lower 48 is expected for at least the next 10 days, with snow and ice expected, Guy said, adding that a significant ice storm is forecast for later this week in Oklahoma, Texas and the Mid-Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley. More icy conditions are expected after snowfalls from Missouri to New England
In Oklahoma, freezing rain created icy roadways leading to more than 380 car crashes in the state by 5 p.m. Monday, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol/Department of Public Safety (OHP/DPS).
Early Monday morning, Oklahoma City Police warned in a tweet that cold temperatures had frozen over bridges, causing several crashes.
Two people died and people suffered injuries in at least 130 of the incidents Oklahoma State Troopers responded to, according to the tweet.
At least 20 cars were caught in a pile up on I-40, the main thruway of Oklahoma City, Monday, OHP Trooper Eric Foster said during a press briefing Monday.
At least 20 cars were caught in a pile up on I40 in Oklahoma City Monday.
Foster said that an unknown number of people were injured during multiple collisions along an icy bridge.
Kansas City, Kansas also saw several accidents during the Monday morning commute, resulting in the closure of at least one road due to slick conditions, according to a tweet from the Kansas City Metro Department of Transportation.
In Topeka, the police encouraged people to slow down after snowfall snarled traffic conditions.
“As the light snow continues and temperatures continue to drop, prepare for slippery conditions on your commute home. Slow down, use caution and stay home if you don’t have to be out,” Kansas Capitol Police Officer Jose said in a tweet.
