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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2014-03-05, Page 22 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, March 5, 2014 Paul Cluff QMI Agency Seaforth Harmony Kings entertained a packed gymnasium at Seaforth Public School when the group hosted the Western Division Novice Competition on Feb. 22. Spring ahead! A reminder to our readership that the clocks go ahead on Sunday, March 9. Perth OPP officer suffers major injuries during whiteout Accidents in Huron but only minor injuries Laura Cudworth QMI Agency A Perth County OPP officer is at home recovering from major injuries after her cruiser was struck during a whiteout last Thursday. Const. Lisa Irwin was in the front seat of her cruiser talking to two drivers involved in a crash north of Milverton when the fully -marked cruiser was hit from behind by a pickup truck. Remarkably, the two people in the back of the cruiser sustained only minor injuries and were treated by paramedics at the scene. Even though Irwin was in the front, she had her body turned, and suffered major injuries that were non -life threatening. The emergency lights were OFFICE HOURS The Office Hours for The Seaforth Huron Expositor is as follows Mondays - 9am - 5pm Tuesdays - CLOSED Wednesdays - 9am - 5pm Thursdays - 9am - 5pm Fridays - 9am - 5pm Seaforth iliEron Expositor 8 Main Street, Seaforth ON PH: 519-527-0240 www. seaforthhuronexpositor .com flashing and flares had been lit behind the cruiser at the time of the crash, police say. "Drivers need to immediately change the way they think about win- ter driving," Perth County OPP Insp. Steve Porter said. He added it was for- tunate 110 one was killed. It was every first responder's night- mare to hear one of their own was injured. "It wasn't a good day," said Perth County OPP Const. Kees Wijnands. "At the end everyone was exhausted. Everybody was just happy to go home at the end of the day. Everyone was emotionally and mentally exhausted." Huron OPP responded to 17 colli- sions, the majority between 7 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., said Const. James Stanley. Two people suffered minor injuries, he said. One-third of the Huron collisions were rear -enders, including an OPP vehicle that was hit on Grand Bend Line. News a cruiser was hit in Perth and an officer injured added to the stress of the day for all first responders. "The guys responding to the call were quite concerned," said Bill Hunter, Perth East and West Perth fire chief. "It's like responding to an emer- gency when you know someone in the family is involved." Each time firefighters were called out was another chance they could be hurt in dangerous conditions too. "We don't want to go out in that weather but we will," Hunter said. It was a brutal day with massive whiteouts and snow squalls. Between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. there were 51 crashes in Perth. The roads were closed at about 9 a.m. and didn't reo- pen until nighttime. Irwin's cruiser was completely demolished and the pickup truck was heavily damaged. "If you can't see, why would you be driving at a high rate of speed? There's no question it was dangerous," Wijnands said. "There were signs, the roads were closed and you should not be out there." The 23 -year-old woman driving the pickup was not injured. Charges are pending. If that wasn't bad enough there were three other minor collisions involving Perth County OPP cruisers during the whiteouts. In another instance where police were stopped to deal with a crash, a cruiser was hit. No one was injured. A cruiser responding to a call was hit when someone pulled out onto the road, Wijnands said. Again there were no injuries. And a cruiser clipped the corner of an abandoned vehicle that was drifted in with snow and couldn't be seen, he said. "People were taking unnecessary risks, that was the whole problem. It was publicized but people still think they need to go to their bridge game or dentist appointment," Wijnands said.