UNION, Maine — A 28-year-old Jefferson man is in fair condition at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor after the pickup truck he was in rolled over Tuesday morning due to black ice, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
Derek Hinkley was a passenger in a 2001 GMC truck driven by Randy Heald, 32, of Jefferson when the vehicle came upon a section of Route 17 in Union that was covered by black ice, police said. The truck was heading east when it encountered the ice-covered stretch of road and flipped onto its roof in a ditch at about 6:30 a.m..
Heald was not injured but Hinkley suffered head, neck and back injuries and was flown by a Lifeflight helicopter to EMMC, police reported.
The vehicle was destroyed in the crash.
Following the accident, the sheriff’s office issued a news release reminding motorists that cold weather is here and that black ice will remain on the roads longer in the early morning hours and particularly where the road is shaded.
I worked for the department of transportation for 25 years and all my 59 years on this earth ,I have never seen BLACK ice. No such thing I am sorry.
That’s just it, you don’t see it ’till you’ve done an unexplained 360! It doesn’t last long, but believe me, it exists.
Believe me it does not exist.Next time you see some.Chip some of the road and see what color it is. HMMMMMMMMM it is clear.
HMMMMMMM Ice is clear, is black because it’s so thin and obviously can’t be “chipped”. It looks like the tar has been waxed, happens in the shady areas mostly and will disappear in a matter of minutes. It’s like fog froze on the road. You’ll know it when you don’t see it, but your butt will feel it when you step on it!
I believe the “black” from “black ice” is because the road beneath the extremely thin layer of “ice” is shockingly black.
much like other cliche’s such as “african american” (they’re not all from africa)
or “wicked good” (wicked = bad, but somehow good)
“….much like other cliche’s such as “african american” (they’re not all from africa)”
Ya dey are. They moved around for a few thousand years then were shipped all over the world as slaves.
so couldn’t we all be “african american” ?
after all, if we all descended from a common ancestry then we’re all technically african american
You are rite. I tell my wife.If you look,there is black ice,yellow ice,white ice. Where the lines are painted. HMMMMMMMM but it is all clear in reality.
Route 17 in Union is a busy road even in the early morning hours.
Why is a dozen or so vehicles come across the black ice on the same stretch of road at the same time and they dont crash, while one vehicle comes along and does?
Because black ice can form very quickly.
lots of factors,
tires,
speed,
front vs rear wheel drive,
accelleration
cruise control
braking,
suspension.
any single or combination of those factors effect the way a car handles on the pavement.