Now that a weekend blizzard is in the history books, the Ontario Provincial Police is taking time to reflect on the multitude of crashes and, miraculously, no fatalities.
Motorists left vehicles by the hundreds abandoned on roads when the weather quickly shifted during last Friday's storm that slammed into Ontario and Quebec.
"Anytime weather statements come out, people look at it and think it's never going to be as bad as they say. This one was," said Constable Steven Duguay. "They [weather conditions] went from not so bad to terrible road conditions in mere minutes."
Windsor-Essex was spared the worst, but drivers didn't have to travel far into zero visibility, driving winds, and blowing snow. Snow drifts on some roads in Chatham-Kent, Sarnia-Lambton, and Middlesex County, buried cars and trucks. By early Saturday morning, the OPP reported more than 500 crashes across the province, some involving first responder vehicles responding to collisions.
Hwy. 401 and 402 may be open, but police are still investigating those crashes.
"We're still assessing everything, and officers who were investigating those collisions still are going through mountains of paperwork," Duguay said.
Despite the carnage, no one died on OPP-patrolled roads in Essex County or Chatham-Kent.
"Injuries ranged from some serious to some minor injuries," continued Duguay. "Considering some of the vehicles that I've seen photos of from the highway, we were very lucky that serious injuries were the worst that we had."
The forecast over the next few days calls for a warm-up, but Environment Canada warns there's still plenty of winter weather to come.
"When we put out warnings to stay off the roads, we really mean it," said Duguay, hoping drivers will be more cautious.
