P.E.I. woman suffers cuts after flying ice smashes through car windshield
‘I’ll never forget that sound,’ says Norma MacEachern
A P.E.I. woman is encouraging others to clean off their vehicles after a chunk of ice smashed through a windshield, causing glass fragments to spray into her face.
Norma MacEachern said she was in the passenger seat of her friend's car heading toward Charlottetown along Brackley Point Rd. on Thursday when she saw a piece of ice come loose from the roof of an oncoming van.
"Apparently the car ahead of us veered to avoid it," she said. "We weren't as fortunate and it pummeled into our windshield.
"I remember a tremendously loud explosion. I'll never forget that sound."
She said glass fragments scattered everywhere.
MacEachern's side of the car took the impact. The driver was able to pull to the side of the road.
WARNING: Some people may find the image below disturbing.
The glass hit MacEachern "everywhere."
"Face, very close to my eyes — luckily I was wearing large sunglasses," she said.
She had cuts on her temple, nose, chin and neck.
"The car was literally pulverized with these glass shards. And some of them were larger and some of them were just slivers. They clung to us like they were glued on," she said.
Her friend escaped with a few scrapes to her hands and fingertips.
MacEachern said a young man stopped to help them. He took them to his home and made calls for a tow truck.
"He was more than kind," she said.
She didn't go to the hospital. A relative who is a nurse stopped by her home to tend to her injuries.
She said she kept thinking that it could have been a child that was injured.
"It is a needless occurrence," she said. "If everyone takes a little extra time to clean their vehicle, windows, roof as good as you can get it, these things would not happen."
This just now, Route 2 Brookfield. Flying ice off vehicles makes for a scary drive for other motorists and pedestrians. PLEASE.. PLEASE folks we ask you every winter to make sure your vehicle is clear of ice and snow, that means your roof top as well. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DriveSafePEI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DriveSafePEI</a> Cst. Parsons <a href="https://t.co/Cqe5Kdelo9">pic.twitter.com/Cqe5Kdelo9</a>
—@RCMPPEITrafficP.E.I. RCMP say they have to put out the same warning every year.
"We're seeing a lot of vehicles with ice still on top of the roof of their car," said Const. Jamie Parsons of the provincial traffic unit. "As you are driving along you see it fly off.
"Ice comes off and coming toward you, not only the weight of that, but the speed of that ice, is very dangerous."
Parsons said a RCMP member with Queens District responded to an incident Friday along Route 2 where ice blew off a vehicle and smashed into the windshield of another.
He said if ice or snow obstructs a driver's view they could face fines of $250.