Police respond to over a dozen crashes in Joliet, Will County

Officers in Joliet and Will County, as well as the Illinois State Police, have responded to more than a dozen crashes since the start of a major storm has blanketed the region in heavy snow.

Since 8 p.m. Tuesday, officers in Joliet responded to six crashes, two of them involving minor injuries, said Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English.

Deputies with the Will County Sheriff’s Office were at the scene of a crash Wednesday morning involving an Enterprise rental box truck carrying furniture near Manhattan.

[ Photos: Heavy Snow Hits Joliet ]

Since midnight Wednesday, Illinois State Police troopers have responded to nine crashes without injuries in District 5, which covers Will, Grundy and Kendall counties, said Illinois State Trooper Genelle Jones.

Troopers have also responded to 36 reports for motorist assistance and abandoned vehicles, Jones said.

Either failure to reduce speed or improper lane usage will be assigned as a cause for a large percentage of crashes, Jones said, however many drivers are operating outside “the proper parameters” to avoid a collision because of the weather.

Will County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said the unincorporated roads in Will County remain “extremely hazardous.”

“The fast accumulation of snowfall makes it difficult for snow plows to keep up with clearing main roads and even more difficult to keep side roads clear,” Hoffmeyer said.

The majority of the sheriff’s calls are for motorist assists with vehicles in ditches, Hoffmeyer said.

The Enterprise rental box truck crash occurred at Cedar Road and Manhattan-Monee Road, Hoffmeyer said. The vehicle slid on the roadway and turned on its side.

The driver and passenger of the truck were in good condition and were taken to a warming center, Hoffmeyer said.