Ice on bridge leads to McDavid collision
Adams dies in icy crash Saturday
Weather conditions such as the rain, sleet and below freezing temperatures our area encountered in the last week can produce 'black ice' on area roads and bridges, making driving conditions dangerous. Black ice is a thin coat of highly transparent ice that forms when the conditions are right. Bridges are especially susceptible to the formation of black ice because they have cold air passing on top and underneath, making them extra slick.
Black ice may have been the cause of a two-vehicle crash last Saturday morning on an icy bridge of U.S. Highway 29 in McDavid, Fla. that claimed the life of one Pensacola woman and seriously injured another, according to a Florida Highway Patrol press release.
Mary Adams, 73, and her twin sister, Martha Lou Carmichael, were traveling north in the outside northbound lane of U.S. Highway 29 in a 1997 Ford Ranger. An unoccupied 2001 SUV was stopped on the eastern shoulder to assist another motorist.
The report stated Adams lost control of her vehicle and began to turn counterclockwise, colliding with the rear of the SUV. The SUV spun counterclockwise onto a nearby driveway where it came to rest facing west on the eastern shoulder of Highway 29.
The Ford Ranger came to rest facing in a southwesterly direction on the east shoulder of Highway 29.
Adams was pronounced dead on the scene. Carmichael was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola with serious injuries. Both Carmichael and Adams were wearing seat belts, the report said.
Motorists are cautioned to slow down, especially when crossing bridges, and take precautions when driving in snow or icy conditions to minimize the possibility of being in an accident.
