Car Slides Into Home On Icy Johnstown Street

Freezing rain early Wednesday was to blame for slick roads that caused a car to slide into a Johnstown home.

Rose Cover, of Dale borough, said she was just about to leave for work when a car slid right off Wess Street and into her home.

No one was hurt in Wednesday's crash, but Cover said there are ongoing problems with the roads being treated during severe weather.

"Being a side street, it's the last place that gets salted or taken care of and, with the curve and the slope, it's very hazardous," Cover said. "We've had multiple accidents nearly every single year."

Cover and her husband have lived in their home since 1977 and she said repairing their yard has become routine. She said they asked the city for help but got "no response. They say they'll look into it and nothing happens."

Johnstown Public Works Director Darby Sprincz said crews have to take care of the main roads first.

"We were just in the progress of getting to our secondary roads when this situation occurred," Sprincz said.

Currently, a retaining wall that is supposed to help the situation is crumbling and Cover said it's shifted at least a foot in just the past year.

"I'm really worried that a school bus is going to come through here and someone is really going to get hurt," she said.

Sprincz said the city is trying to get funding to replace the wall and extend guardrails. Cover said, unfortunately, she and her husband can't just put up posts themselves because if someone hits the posts, the Covers could be held liable.

The freezing rain caused travel troubles in other areas across the Alleghenies and made for a slick morning commute for many drivers.

Weather conditions were also to blame for four separate crashes overnight in Bedford County. Officials said none were serious but some people suffered minor injuries.

In the Johnstown area, there were reports of drivers sliding on black ice as temperatures hovered around the freezing mark.

With more wintry weather in the forecast, Windber borough in Somerset County has approved a snow emergency plan for borough residents. Effective immediately, when the mayor declares an emergency, parking will be limited to one side of the street on most of Graham, Somerset and Jefferson avenues. Borough officials said they hope the plan will also make snow removal easier.

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