The picturesque landscape is transforming into icy frustration as the snow continues to fall in Columbus.
Slick roads have been a problem for many students both on foot and in vehicles. An accident Wednesday on State Route 315 northbound left the passenger-side door and front headline smashed on Ohio State fourth-year Emily Metz’s car.
When Metz tried to apply her brakes in the center lane, her car slid through several lanes before it was hit by a Chevrolet truck. Both cars ended up in the snow on the side of the freeway.
“They had to call a tow truck to pull me out of the snow because my car was stuck,” Metz said. “If the roads weren’t so slippery, this could have been avoided.”
The vehicle, though still drivable, has sustained considerable damage from the accident. Metz was driving below the speed limit when the accident occurred.
Despite school closings in the surrounding areas, the OSU Columbus campus will remain open for all classes and events today.
“Everything has continued as scheduled,” said Bob Armstrong, director of Emergency Management. The only exceptions have been a number of athletic team practices that were canceled because of the weather.
As the whitewash continues to blanket the university grounds, winds could reach gusts of up to 40 mph. Armstrong said that Emergency Management is prepared for the potentially high winds and will monitor them closely.
The employees of the Facilities Operations and Development department have been working around the clock to clear snow and ice from student-populated areas on campus.
Although the Medical Center has not had a significant increase in snow-related injuries, many patients have canceled visits because of the weather, said David Crawford, OSU Medical Center spokesman.
“Many patients have called to cancel their medical appointments due to the weather conditions,” he said. “This is typical. Many of our patients come from outside Franklin County and we realize it was not safe for many of them to be on the roads. Their appointments are being rescheduled.”
During the harsh weather, university officials recognize their responsibility to keep students in class so they can get their tuitions’ worth, said Shelly Hoffman, a university media relations spokeswoman.
“We want to make sure people have access to their classes,” Hoffman said. “We’ve been able to keep lots [of] sidewalks fairly clear.”
At this point, it is safe to assume that unless a blizzard of biblical proportions hits OSU, classes and events on campus will remain open and will continue as scheduled.
“We’ll continue to evaluate the situation on a regular basis,” Armstrong said.
