It was wicked freezing rain in Whitewood, SK last night. I was trying to make it to the truck stop, but was stopped short about a km away. A Bison turnpike and Mark Brandt truck came together on a left hand curve and Mark Brandt jacknifed blocking the highway. The only way I was able to stop was hit the right shoulder and use the snow to stop me, brakes were completely useless. That was the initial accident then all hell broke loose. Every single vehicle that tried to negotiate the curve ended up in the ditch. First it was Motrux going east, he stopped at the beginning of the curve (huge mistake) and slid sideways into the median. After that it was truck after truck going west hitting the ditch. I think I counted four across from me, two further up, and two even further up. You couldn't stop on the straightaway, the crown of the road would put you in the ditch. Later I heard 5 trucks hit the ditch just the other side of Whitewood.
A little puke in a small tow truck comes and says "I've got a big wrecker coming". I told him don't bother unless you salt the road. He shrugged me off. Big wrecker comes (350+ wheelbase, a huge one) and attempts to get at the first truck. To do this he has to negotiate the curve. He put "tokyo drift" to shame. I've never seen such a large vehicle go around a curve like that at a 45 degree angle. He almost made it, but hit the ditch and went in deeper than all the semis.
A front loader comes do help get the wrecker out and attempts to negotiate the curve. Guess what happens? Yup slides sideways into the ditch. Luckily he can drive in the snow.
RCMP comes later and I'm waving at him to go on the left shoulder (the high shoulder for west bound). He doesn't listen, keeps driving in the middle of the road, as soon as he slows down he slides into the ditch. Luckily he was barely able to get out by backing into the ditch, taking a run at the highway and he made it up to the high side shoulder.
I swear there was another tow truck stuck further up too. That road was literally impassable. Motrux managed to put on four tire chains and get out of the median, but as soon as he hit the higher grade of the curve his trailer slid back into the median. Trying to steer just caused his steer tire to hit the median. Now he's really stuck.
If you're ever driving in freezing rain it's always the curves that cause accidents. If you can make it to the curve, go to the high side shoulder. Left shoulder for a right curve and right shoulder for a left curve. If you can't make it there stop straddling the dotted line. Coast to a stop. Anything else and you're in the ditch. The only thing that will stop you is snow. Hopefully there's some you can grab on the high side.
All this could've been prevented with a little salt just as the rain started. Every single truck that hit the ditch was warned by me on the CB radio how to come to a stop as described above. Only two listened. Those two were the only ones that didn't hit the ditch.
