The combination of freezing rain, snow, sleet, and the bitter cold has made for a frustrating winter for many people in the Kansas City metro. For the past few months, our community has been dealing with dangerous driving conditions, slick pavement, power outages, canceled flights, school closings, damage to trees, problems with potholes, and frozen pipes. A report came out earlier this month claiming that the recent weather throughout the Kansas City metro has caused a significant decrease to the amount of snow removal resources that are available to the city. Will spring ever come? We hope so.
Most schools throughout the metro have already had more snow days this year compared to last year. Each school district is responsible for evaluating the weather conditions to determine if it is safe enough for their students to travel to school. Here are some of the factors that school officials rely on when deciding if the conditions are appropriate for a snow day:
- Weather conditions and forecasts
- Communication with the school bus company
- Amount of snow and/or ice accumulated
- Hourly forecast
- Building conditions - electricity and heat
- Ground conditions - sidewalk, parking lot, surrounding road
- Temperature and the wind chill
- Communication with city and county officials
Earlier this month, a school bus carrying three students from the Center School District lost control on an icy neighborhood road and eventually started rolling (Video on Fox 4 News: https://bit.ly/2E7wW4M). Fortunately, there were no serious injuries reported and the driver was not charged with a crime, but it still serves as a reminder of how dangerous the roads can be when snow, ice, etc. is present.
Law enforcement officials and medical personnel in MO and KS have been busy this winter and deserve a BIG thank you for their commitment to keeping our community safe. The Missouri State Highway Patrol had a busy January and posted this to their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/motrooper/) after a long day of assisting stranded motorists:
Our attorneys live, work, and raise our families in Kansas City. We are here, right here, fighting for you. If you have been injured, call us at 816-842-7100 or click here to contact our Castle Law Injury Attorneys
