Two separate Erie area motor vehicle accidents took the lives of two local women over the weekend. The first accident took place Friday afternoon and the second on Sunday.
The accident on Friday happened just shortly after 1 p.m. when a 79-year-old women from Kingsville Township, Ohio collided with a commercial tractor trailer. The accident took place at the intersection of Route 84 and Dibble Road near the DaVita Kingsville Dialysis Center in Ashtabula County.
Police say that the woman was pulling out onto Route 84 and that the tractor trailer's driver swerved to miss her, but that his truck crashed into the driver's side of her van. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the tractor trailer was uninjured in the accident.
The second accident took place on Sunday afternoon just after 1 p.m. in Millcreek Township in the heart of Erie, PA.
The accident involved two vehicles and claimed the life of one of the passengers involved. Police say the collision happened on the 4800 block of West Ridge Road. Witnesses claim that a Ford Taurus driving westbound slid out of control and crossed the center line into the path of a BMW traveling the opposite direction just near the St. Mary's at Asbury Ridge retirement community.
A 77-year-old woman who was a passenger in the Ford Taurus was seriously injured at the scene of the accident and was taken to UPMC Hamot where she later passed away from blunt force trauma. Both drivers were also taken to UPMC Hamot with unreported injuries and their conditions are still unknown at this time.
The Greater Erie Area weather is harsh in the winters and this current snow storm is just a glimpse of what is to come over the next few months. Although no official report has been filed, police at both scenes say that slick road conditions likely played a large part in the accidents. When roads are snow-covered or icy, please give yourself enough time to get to your destination. Often times, the only way to avoid disaster is to simply slow down and take your time. Allowing faster-moving vehicles and large commercial trucks to pass before making turning or switching lanes is one easy tip that is simple to follow and can save your life.