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greensway
01-12-2004, 07:02 AM
Snowplow Injures Woman In Freak Accident
Cincinnati Woman In Critical Condition
UPDATED: 3:54 p.m. EST January 10, 2004
CINCINNATI -- A freak accident that no one saw coming on an Ohio road has left a Cincinnati woman in critical condition, and her mother dealing with a broken heart.
A road reflector scraped off the pavement by a snowplow shot through Debra Black's windshield and hit her in the face Thursday. Black, 42, of Amelia, Ohio was driving on state Route 125 when it happened, causing her to veer off the roadway and crash into a tree.
Black is being treated at University Hospital.
Friday, Black's mother, Mable Smith, told WLWT that she barely recognized her daughter in the hospital because her face was injured so severely.
"That's my daughter, but I would not have known who it was," Smith said.
Smith added that it was difficult to see her daughter in the condition she's in.

"I think that's the first time in my life that I couldn't look at one of my children," she said.
There are millions of reflectors on roadways, which are meant to protect the motorists who typically don't pay much attention to them. The one that crashed through Black's windshield weighed 4.5 pounds, and was encased in metal.
"My heart is broken because of my daughter," Smith said. "How can I tell if she's ever going to be the same?"
According to doctors, at least half of the bones in Black's face are broken, including her jaw.
"She didn't appear to have any eyes," Smith said. "She has stitches all over her face and her mouth."
As the victim's mother prays for her daughter, she's also praying for the driver of the snowplow, who was hospitalized for shock after the accident.
"We take too much for granted in life every day, and we shouldn't," she said.

90plow
01-12-2004, 09:16 AM
Its been happening on RT 80 around here just from car tires throwing them up in the air, very dangerous. I don't really see the point of the reflectors they cause more problems and cost alot of money. After hearing of all the problems I think they should jsut stop putting them in.
JMO
Eric

JohnnyU
01-12-2004, 09:45 AM
That is really terrible, I hope that everyone recovers, a facial injury is a serious one, and can be worse if it were to become infected, since its so close to the brain.

I have noticed lately that when the road is wet, you can't see the lines, but the little reflectors usually can bee seen for five or six car-lengths ahead. I've looked at them, they seem to be recessed into the pavement around here, nothing to catch a plow, or for the tires to 'bump' over when changing lanes. :beatsme

campi
01-12-2004, 12:52 PM
I agree with 90plow I used to plow rt 80 by the town square mall with a tandem dump truck, always hitting those reflecters they either rip out and go flying or I have broken a few cutting edges on those big plows, seems in that area they seem to stick up maybe due to all the heavy truck traffic??? Campi !!!!!