Several car crashes this past weekend could be blamed on the April snowburst ? or drivers? lack of memory on how to drive in snow.
The most severe case occurred at about 3:14 p.m. on April 24 when a driver apparently lost control on northbound I-75 and crashed into the back of an Oakland County Sheriff patrol car ? which was stopped at the scene of a previous car crash.
The patrol car had emergency lights activated, with flares and warning cones in the roadway behind, reports said.
A 21-year-old Clarkston woman was cited for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.
At the time deputies were helping at the scene of a crash which occurred about an hour earlier. An 18-year-old Troy woman apparently lost control and collided with the rear of a vehicle driven by a 61-year-old Sterling Heights woman.
With the Michigan State Police apparently busy, sheriff units were called to take reports at seven crashes in the vicinity of I-75 and M-15 on April 23 and 24. In all cases, the responsible drivers cited snow and ice as contributing factors. No serious injuries were reported in any of the incidents.
Off the freeway, sheriff units on April 24 also responded to Clarkston Road near Eston Road, where an eastbound vehicle driven by a 49-year-old Oxford man left the curved roadway and hit a tree off the right shoulder.
The Springfield Township Fire Department saw action with at least two fires during inclement weather over the weekend.
In one case, Fire Chief Charlie Oaks said downed power lines were the cause of a fire which destroyed a 20- by 30-foot shed at a Holcomb Road residence at about 9:30 p.m. on April 23.
At about 3:16 p.m. on April 24, firefighters responded to a home on Bridlewood Court, extinguishing a fire which started in the gas-powered fireplace.
Oaks said the cause of the apparent malfunction is uncertain.
A family which recently purchased the home was not present at the time, Oaks said, and the fire caused damage in the range of $40,000-$50,000.