Winter Weather — Marion, Indiana

2016-12-16 to 2016-12-17 · Marion, Indiana

Event narrative

Freezing rain and ice made for a dangerous weekend on Indianapolis roadways, leaving three dead and more than 30 others injured.

Indiana State Police officers answered 1,091 emergency calls in the Indianapolis district between 8 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Sunday, according to a news release. That district covers Marion, Hamilton, Hancock, Shelby, Johnson, Hendricks and Boone Counties.

Those calls included 290 crashes, 31 with injuries, and three fatalities.

A sixteen-year-old female, of Indianapolis, was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on I-65 northbound near the 106 mile marker. State troopers believe she got out of the vehicle and possibly slipped on the ice when she was hit by a semi-truck.

A man of unknown age, also of Indianapolis, was taken to the hospital by the Indianapolis Fire Department. When officers arrived on-scene, they found his 2000 Chevrolet truck with driver's side damage, but could not find the other vehicle involved in the incident.

ISP was notified of a third fatality Monday afternoon. That person, whose identity has not yet been released by police, was believed to be a passenger in a Ford Taurus involved in an accident on I-65 near the 106.1 mile marker. Police say that person was ejected from the vehicle and taken to the hospital, where they later died. The vehicle was found abandoned on Saturday afternoon and towed. Investigators are still waiting to speak to the driver of the vehicle.

All three incidents are still under investigation, according to the news release.

Indiana State Police said Monday police knew ice was coming, but the conditions came together perfectly to turn the city into an ice rink.

In my 14-year career this is the worst weather event I've seen as far as affecting traffic, he said. The interstates were simply gridlocked, making response to crashes nearly impossible.

Police also responded to 100 slide offs and had 259 abandoned vehicles, some of which were towed, according to the news release.

Wider weather episode

On the evening of December 16 into the early morning of December 17, light freezing rain and freezing drizzle fell across portions of central Indiana, including the Indianapolis Metro Area. A glaze of ice formed on area roads and caused hundreds of accidents. Some cars were stuck on interstates for several hours due to the ice and accidents. Three fatalities were also noted.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 669638. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.