CHICAGO (WBBM/CBS) -- Driver beware. Ice and slick roads are reported in portions of the Chicago area this morning, so slow it down and use common sense.
The North and Northwest areas have it worst with numerous accidents reported following overnight snowfall. There were a couple of rollover accidents on the Tri-State Tollway near Great America.
WBBM's Bart Shore reports extremely icy conditions in McHenry and northern Lake counties.
Salt trucks have been called out.
A semi-trailer truck that jackknifed on northbound Interstate 94 near Route 120. That crash was cleared, but soon afterward, there was another.
There also were were also two rollover crashes on the Jane Addams Tollway, at Roselle and Hampshire.
Numerous spinout crashes were reported at Route 120 and Chapel Hill Road in McHenry. Police there described the junction as extremely dangerous and crews were trying to salt it down.
Crashes were also reported closer to the city's center, including on the Kennedy Expressway outbound at Belmont Avenue as well as Bryn Mawr Avenue, and on the outbound Stevenson Expressway at First Avenue.
The problems on the roads have persisted ever since Thursday afternoon. Just after 5 p.m., a police officer investigating a crash was seriously injured when another car hit him.
In addition to ice, some parts of the Chicago area saw enough snow overnight that a shovel might be required. Two inches fell overnight in Woodstock and other parts of McHenry County.
Across the Wisconsin state line, conditions were even worse. In the Madison area, snow showers reduced visibility to half a mile or less for the evening rush hour on Thursday, according to CBS affiliate WISC-TV.
In Milwaukee, snow made for damp roads and forced drivers to bring out their ice scrapers, but hardy Wisconsinites took it in stride, CBS affiliate WDJT-TV reported.
A Wauconda police officer investigating a traffic crash suffered traumatic leg injuries when he was hit by another vehicle that apparently slipped on the icy road Thursday afternoon in northwest suburban Wauconda.
At 5:12 p.m., police officer Jim McClain was responding to an auto accident on U.S. 12 at the Illinois 176 overpass when a second collision occurred, according to a Wauconda Police Department release.
As McClain walked to the second collision, a vehicle driven by a Lake Zurich resident lost control due to what investigators believe were "icy surface conditions," first hitting a guard rail and then striking McClain.
McClain, who is a three-year veteran of the force, was thrown into the grassy median and suffered "traumatic injuries to both legs," the release said.
He was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. Doctors told police that McClain did not have any broken bones, but that he suffered major tears and lacerations which would require surgery, the release said.
Lake County Major Crash Assistance Teams closed the road for investigations from 5:12 to 9:45 p.m.
Police are not releasing the identity of the Lake Zurich motorist and charges were not expected until next week, the release said.
Information about the initial crash was not immediately known.
Contents of this site are Copyright 2009 by WBBM. The STNGwire and CBS 2 contributed to this report.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
