Danger: Falling Ice

Friday, January 19th 2007, 5:58 pm

By: News On 6

With temperatures rising Friday, melting ice poses a new hazard. Falling ice is damaging vehicles and even threatening lives. News on 6 reporter Ashli Sims has more on the dangers of falling ice.

A couple of nights ago parking lots and driveways were under a sheet of ice. That ice is now slush, which is good for the roads, but when it happens on a roof watch out!

Paramedics say they've never seen anything like it.

"Itâ€™s a very unusual call. I've been doing this 14 years and I've never seen this," said EMSA paramedic Doug McDonald

Allen Walden was there and saw the whole thing unfold.

"Well, I was inside the Kinko's and I heard a crack. And I looked outside and about that time a big olâ€™ sheet of ice slid off the building and landed on this guy's car over here," eyewitness Allen Walden said.

A large sheet of ice crushed the front end of the car.

"Gentleman who owned the car was sitting inside and waiting for his wife who was inside the store. And he said all he heard was a loud thud and a bang and he ducked down as the cab of the car hit him in the head," McDonald said.

McDonald says the car owner was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but he was all right.

This was the second falling ice accident EMSA responded to in the last two days.

"You should definitely be aware until all of the ice is off the building, you should be careful and try to avoid them if possible," said McDonald.

"Just gotta be careful where you park. Watch out for ice sliding off house and buildings. It's dangerous out there," Walden said.

It's good advice, stay clear of awnings and watch where you walk.

There's falling ice, but EMSA is still responding to lots of calls of people falling down and hurting themselves.