All hands on deck across Madison during ice storm

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - An ice storm affected everyone’s day in one way or another, from a slick morning commute to schools closing. The storm impacted how several organizations across the city go about their work Tuesday.

The slick roads are keeping Ball Auto Body Shop in Middleton busy. Assistant Manager Shonn Gibson says he’s had about a dozen cars in his shop since the active weather started Monday evening, most with front and rear end collision damage.

“Ice is going to be the worst of it because you can’t see ice sometimes,” Gibson said. “You can see snow, but with ice sometimes you can see it sometimes you can’t.”

Gibson is looking ahead to the end of the week, however, when more people are back on the road and looking to get estimates for any damage they sustained during the storm.

The UW Health Emergency Room is also keeping busy. More than 50 people have been seen for injuries related to the ice storm, according to UW Health.

“They’ve got some bruises but some of the more serious injuries, we do actually see a lot of broken wrists,” said Dr. Jeff Pothof. “It’s really common when you sense that you’re going to fall to stiffen up and put out your arm.”

He says falls on the ice are a big concern, especially if a patient hits their head.

“For a lot of people that might cause mild symptoms, some headaches,” Pothof said. “Some people might even have a concussion which you know can be mild to kind of moderate.”

That’s why safety is at top of mind for the Madison Streets Division. The city made the decision to postpone trash and recycling collection Tuesday to protect their drivers.

“Just because they are such big vehicles, they aren’t really afforded any extra traction when things get icy,” said Bryan Johnson, the spokesperson for the division. “They can slide around just like passenger vehicles.”

The city will collect all trash and recycling Wednesday morning.

Crews work overnight, salting and sanding the roads to make sure commuters can get to their destinations in one piece.

“Our crews are going to be on throughout the night overnight hours still dealing with this winter weather and there’s another storm coming Thursday,” said Johnson.

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