An accident on icy roads that injured two Omaha firefighters serves as a reminder that drivers always need to slow down when they see emergency crews, a Fire Department spokesman said.
Capt. Jim Gentile said firefighters always are cautious when giving aid to crash victims, but drivers need to do their part by slowing down.
John Wilcox, an Omaha battalion fire chief, was killed in 1989 after being struck by a vehicle as he crossed the street at a fire scene.
On Saturday, Firefighters Tom Bartek and Seth Gruber, both six-year veterans of the department, were hurt when they were hit by a sport utility vehicle that skidded into the area where firefighters were assisting at a crash scene.
The accident happened about 11:30 p.m. on Interstate 80 near 42nd Street.
Gentile said Bartek was thrown down an embankment after a Chevy Tahoe went out of control because of icy conditions. The SUV also struck Gruber, Gentile said.
Gentile said firefighters at the scene rushed down the embankment to help Bartek when another vehicle lost control, slid down the embankment and nearly hit them.
Both Bartek and Gruber were taken to Creighton University Medical Center and kept overnight. They were released Sunday morning, Gentile said.
The driver of the SUV was not injured. Omaha police said alcohol and speed were not factors. The accident remains under investigation.
The icy roads contributed to numerous accidents in the area. No fatalities were reported.
An Omaha police dispatcher said more than 30 accidents were reported Saturday night and into Sunday. Many calls came from Interstate 80.
Dispatchers for Sarpy County took nearly 20 accident calls, and for Pottawattamie County in Iowa, it was more than 30.
Kate Walters, a meteorologist for AccuWeather, The World-Herald's weather consultant, said rain Saturday night changed to freezing rain and then light snow sometime after midnight.
Snowfall totals were light, she said. One-tenth of an inch was reported at Omaha's Eppley Airfield.
Walters said the system that brought snow Sunday would push east today. It will be breezy and cool today with highs in the mid-30s.
Tuesday will be mild with no precipitation and temperatures reaching near 50 degrees.
A cold front will move into the area Wednesday and could produce rain. Temperatures will stay in the mid- to upper 30s Wednesday and the rest of the week.
