Officials: Slow down on the roads

Multiple accidents reported in town and county

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BROOKINGS – Road conditions and overdriving those conditions are being blamed for six vehicle accidents in Brookings in less than two hours Tuesday afternoon and multiple accidents in Brookings County during the first significant snowfall of the season. 

The accidents in the city of Brookings occurred between 3:45 and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Assistant Chief Derrick Powers said.

“Ours were all non-injury (accidents). The roads were slick, and a lot of these resulted from people driving too fast and not able to stop and sliding into other vehicles,” Powers said.

The Brookings County Sheriff’s Office was even busier.

“We have had several accidents and slide-ins since it started snowing yesterday,” said Assistant Sheriff Scott Sebring, adding he didn’t have an exact number.

“Accidents have ranged from injury accidents, non-injury accidents, to just several vehicles sliding into the ditch. Accidents have occurred on the interstate, state highways, county roads and township roads,” Sebring said.

“My advice to traveling motorists is to slow down and plan on taking extra time to get to your destination,” Sebring said.

That was echoed by Powers.

“People need to slow down when the roads are icy”; especially at intersections, “you get on some of that ice and you start to slide,” Powers said,

“And give yourself some distance from the vehicle in front of you, extra stopping distance. … If you don’t have enough distance, you’re gonna hit that vehicle in front of you,” he added.