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Water main break creates icy mess on Ross Township road, causing cars to get stuck on hill for hours

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ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Several cars were stuck for hours Wednesday morning on Sewickley Oakmont Road in Ross Township. Drivers described it as a chain-reaction crash that all started with a water main break.

West View Water Authority officials told Channel 11 that a water main broke on Grant Road, near Route 19. That sent water cascading down the hill around 6 a.m., as drivers were trying to make their way up. With temperatures in the single digits, they told us that water turned from liquid to solid ice almost instantly.

“My tires started skidding, and we started slowly sliding backwards….” said Nowcee Carney, who was driving his wife to work. “It was like a domino effect.”

Several cars slid into one another, with their drivers and passengers stranded for hours. Drivers described the moments they tried to stay on the road during this morning commute flash freeze.

“The guy in front of me stopped, so I stopped next to him. He began to turn around and drive away from the water that was coming down, and I attempted to do the same thing,” said Zachary Glevicky. “No one could get any traction. It just sucked.”

Glevicky told Channel 11 that several people slipped and fell on the ground when they tried to get out of their cars to exchange insurance information.

West View Water officials told Channel 11 that the road has been treated and was scheduled to be back open by noon. They said 20-30 homes in the area were without water this morning, with restoration times slated for around 4 p.m.

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