Two dozen vehicle crash reports kept the Oconto County Sheriff’s Department busy Dec. 16.
The sheriff’s department emergency dispatch center started receiving multiple notifications around noon of numerous vehicles in the ditch, in accidents, or that were spun out of control due to hazardous road conditions.
A weather event that spanned from the Town of Underhill to the Town of Little River, which moved quickly through the southern portion of Oconto County in the early afternoon, created hazardous traveling conditions due to freezing rain and ice that quickly covered roadways.
As of 5 p.m., the sheriff’s department had 24 crash reports that involved about 40 vehicles in traffic-related incidents from this event. This included a multiple-vehicle crash that happened at the split of U.S. highways 41 and 141 in the Town of Abrams that caused the highway to be shut down for a brief period of time and several traffic backups.
Sheriff Todd Skarban said in a press release that the Oconto County Sheriff’s Department called in additional staff to help handle the increased number of calls and emergencies. No serious injuries have been reported related to this weather event, according to Skarban.
Skarban praised the Oconto County Emergency Dispatch Center team, all law enforcement personnel, emergency services, ambulances and first responder teams, and vehicle tow recovery teams that responded to the numerous calls for service.
No other information is being released at this time, according to Skarban, and many investigations are ongoing.
