Drivers handle slippery conditions

COEUR d’ALENE — Despite a few slide-offs and wrecks due to the snow, police said drivers were mostly doing pretty well Wednesday morning.

Coeur d’Alene Police Detective Jared Reneau said city police responded to five crashes between midnight and 3 p.m. Wednesday.

“We really didn’t have many slide-offs in the city limits,” Reneau said. “We didn’t have much of anything outside of the norm. Spokane had a horrible problem this morning.”

However there were a few wrecks outside the city limits.

Around 9:30 a.m., Rosealie Willis, 72, of Thompson Falls, Mont., was injured in crash on Highway 95 north of Lancaster. According to Idaho State Police, Willis was southbound in a 2002 GMC Envoy when she lost control on the slick roadway and crossed through the median. Willis’ vehicle spun into the northbound lane where her driver's side was struck by a 1991 Geo Tracker driven by Sandra Mangus, 61, of Priest River.

Both Mangus and Willis were wearing their seat belts, but both were injured and transported to Kootenai Health. According to Andrea Nagel at Kootenai Health, Willis was treated and released, but Mangus’ condition was still uncertain at press time.

Nagel said the hospital was not experiencing an unusual number of weather-related patients as of Wednesday afternoon.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” she said.

There was also a rollover accident in Post Falls around 10 a.m. at the intersection of Pleasantview Road and Seltice Way. Just before things started thawing out, there was another accident, on Idaho Street and Milwaukee at 11:40 a.m.

With the onset of winter, the ISP has scheduled a free winter driving school for 60 drivers who want to get a few tips on how to drive better in the snow.

Teresa Baker, public information officer for the ISP, said the class is scheduled for Jan. 9, but people can call to register starting today. The local number is 209-8620.

“People should sign up as soon as possible because the class fills up fast,” she said.