SUMMERFIELD, N.C. – Tuesday morning’s slick roads caught many by surprise.
“Yeah it scared the mess out of me,” said Mary Dunlap, whose van was among those that slid into the ditches along Pleasant Ridge Road.
“It was a surprise this morning, nobody knew this was coming,” said Jerry Phipps.
His car was also stuck in a ditch along the road.
"A woman had stopped in front of me, and soon as she stopped I tried to ease off, and when I did, it just flipped me right in the ditch," said Phipps.
Another car slid into Phipps’ car while he was waiting for a tow. That driver also slipped on the ice and fell getting out of his car.
After all the snow we've seen recently, no one was expecting trouble with 1 to 2 inches seen around the Triad and other parts of the state.
"It's amazing how little precipitation created adverse driving conditions for us," said Master Sgt. Chris Knox with the state Highway Patrol. “It’s a mess, it really is.”
Even tow trucks were having a little trouble getting around, one was spotted sliding on the ice.
"I called a tow truck company and they said they were like three hours behind because of the weather,’’ said Dunlap.
The roads were slushy from traffic, then freezing back up, creating slick conditions.
"I've seen vehicles stop, and all the sudden start sliding off the road into a ditch, and that's mostly what we're seeing,’’ said Knox.
With all the morning wrecks, some people had to rely on friends to get them out of a ditch.
"I've got a friend of mine with a tow strap, he's going to try and get me out,’’ said Phipps.
There’s more snow forecast later in the week.
"Stay in please, it's not worth your life or somebody else’s," said Knox.