This was a scene around 6 a.m. this morning on Old SR 15, north of Leesburg, where the road was blocked while one individual assisted another who had slid off the roadway. (Photo by Deb Patterson)

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Kosciusko County Highway crews were hitting the roads shortly before 4 a.m. this morning, but it is slow moving.

Scott Tilden, county highway superintendent, reports it is “Slow going because of the wet and heavy snow.” But it could also be said the slow moving is due to county plow drivers encountering vehicles abandoned in the roadways, having slid off and blocking the roads.

Tilden reported the drivers were encountering a few abandoned vehicles and some which had recently gone off the roadways. The driver’s themselves are finding the heavy wet snow is pulling their large trucks off the roadway and becoming stuck. Tilden stated most of the situations are being seen in the northern, northwest, and southwest portions of the county.

In at least one instance, on CR 900N, east of Old SR 15, four to five vehicles were off the roadway as well as the county highway truck. There were reports of the vehicles stuck in three- to four-foot high snowdrifts.

Tilden stated plow crews will run late today and get an early start in the morning to polish up the county roads for the weekend.

Crews for cities and towns throughout the county were busy working either throughout the night or starting in the early morning hours to clear streets in those areas.

Snowfall Totals/Police Reports

The National Weather Service Northern Indiana reported at 7 a.m. this morning a total of 9.5 inches of snow at the observer station on SR 13.

A spotter in Wakarusa reported nine inches. There were eight inches reported in Rochester at 7 a.m. and 10.2 inches in Plymouth at 6 a.m.  The highest amount of snowfall was reported in Springville, in LaPorte County with 14 inches at 6:45 a.m.

The Indiana State Police released numbers of crashes, slide offs, assist motorists and road closures throughout the state from 6 a.m. Wednesday until midnight. The statewide calls for service activity report for this time period shows 220 property damage accidents, 60 personal injury crashes, 228 slide-offs and 176 assists to motorists.

On a local level, 1st Sgt. Chad Hill, public information officer with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, provided a report for the county on calls received between 6 a.m. Wednesday through approximately 9 a.m. today.

The Kosciusko Communication Center, received 42 calls regarding property damage accidents, 22 personal injury accidents and seven unknown vehicle accidents. There were 64 slide-off or road hazards reported.

Since 6 a.m. this morning the center has received 11 slid-off/road hazard calls and one property damage accident.