A Pennsylvania woman recalled breaking her eye socket after a slab of ice flew off a tractor-trailer and crashed through her windshield while she was driving Saturday morning.
Madeline Grace said she was driving when the large slab of ice hit her windshield, according to CBS News Pittsburgh. She was injured when she was struck in the face with ice and glass. The ice broke Grace’s eye socket and fractured her nose, WFMZ reported. She received treatment at a local hospital for her injuries. (RELATED: Deep Freeze To Grip US Region With Life-Threatening, Coldest Weekend Of Winter; Could Trigger Rarely-Seen Warnings)
Grace’s 7-year-old daughter was in the backseat when the incident occurred. The woman said she’s happy her daughter was unharmed.
“Just so grateful that I blocked that from going in the backseat and hitting my daughter,” she told CBS News Pittsburgh. Although her daughter cried at her mother being injured, Grace said she’s handling the incident pretty well.
“She told me, she’s like, ‘worst day ever, Mommy.’ I said, ‘yeah, it was pretty rough for me too, baby.’ Overall, she’s handling it really well,” Grace explained.
In sharing how the incident affected her, Grace said she didn’t have time to react to the ice slab barreling toward her.
“Every time I close my eyes, I see that chunk of ice coming at me,” Grace said.
“I just remember seeing that ice coming through the air like this, like flipping over and over,” she continued. “I just remember thinking there wasn’t time to do anything.”
The incident occurred despite Pennsylvania passing Christine’s Law in 2022, according to FOX 43. Based on the law, drivers can face a $50 fine for not removing falling snow or ice from their cars. Drivers face fines of up to $1,500 if falling snow or ice injures someone or causes vehicular damage. Christine Lambert, who died after ice came off a truck and broke through her windshield, gave the law its name.
A similar initiative is being proposed in Maryland.
Democratic Maryland State Del. Edith Patterson introduced House Bill 474, which would demand that drivers clear snow and ice from several parts of their vehicles to keep frozen slabs from possibly hurting people, according to the Capital Gazette. The legislation would apply to the hood, trunk, windshield, windows and roof of vehicles. Clearing snow from cars is recommended, though not currently subject to law in Maryland.
Alaska, Connecticut, Tennessee, and Wisconsin and at least seven other states have laws prohibiting drivers from driving with snow on their vehicles.
Grace told CBS News Pittsburgh laws mean nothing if people ignore them. She also argued that the difficulty of removing snow and ice is not a reason for refusing to do it.
“I have more sympathy for the people that are driving, minding their own business, had zero choice in the matter, and are now injured, possibly permanently,” Grace said.
State police are attempting to search for the truck reportedly responsible for the incident, CBS News Pittsburgh reported.