KEARNY–
November temperatures, half-a-month overdue, arrived with a vengeance last week, bringing with them that bane of winter travel: black ice.
Between 6 a.m. and noon on Tuesday, Nov. 18, the KPD recorded nine motor vehicle accidents — eight of them in South Kearny — all involving black ice.
In the first crash, which occurred on Fish House Road, Officer Steven Hroncich suffered head, neck and back injuries when his patrol car was read-ended by a DMS Express truck, Chief John Dowie reported. The patrol car was deemed “totalled” and was towed to headquarters, where it sits in the police yard.
Dowie said there were “severe icing conditions” on the road at the time and a request was made to Hudson County to come and salt it.
The subsequent accidents occurred at 6:12 a.m. on Harrison Ave.; 6:14 on Fish House; 7:33 on Harrison; 7:44 on Fish House; 8:05 on Harrison; 8:12 on Rt. 1/9; 10 (there was a lull) on Jacobus Ave.; 11:45 at Kearny and Bergen Aves., and at noon on Pennsylvania Ave. in South Kearny.
But that didn’t end the motor vehicle havoc.
Although ice did not necessarily play a role, additional accidents on that day were reported at 3:30 p.m. at Bergen Ave. and Belgrove Drive; 3:49 on Kearny Ave.; 6:45 on Rt. 1/9 and 11:20 on Harrison Ave.
Aside from those to Hroncich, there reportedly were no serious injuries.
– Karen Zautyk
