GARDEN CITY, Idaho — The Idaho Transportation Department reports five snow plow strikes so far this year. Motorists passing plows on the right can lose control — crashing into plow drivers like Kyle Musick.
"So we have a little scratch right here," said Kyle Musick.
A little scratch is the only mark left on Musick's snow plow after a car passing him on the right, heading up Horseshoe Bend Hill, crashed into his plow.
"And when he hit that snow plume, he lost control and drove... put his car right into my plow," said Musick.
The other car wasn't as lucky, seeing extensive damage and a broken window. Luckily, no one was injured in this incident but it happens more than you might think.
"We get quite a few people that pass on the right, which isn't the smartest thing to do because we're throwing all of our snow to the right. But it's not just snow we're throwing; if there are any rocks, any debris, anything on the road that's covered by that snow, it's going to the right as well," said Musick.
This was Musick's second plow strike in his three seasons as a plow driver in Idaho. Even though his first was a few years ago, he still remembers it well.
"As they were sliding at me, my plow was heading straight to the passenger side, and I saw the gal's daughter sitting in that seat," Musick recalled.
Everyone was OK, although the family needed to be towed off the road. But that accident was mid-shift for Musick, and with snow still coming down and a job to get done, it was straight back to work.
"As soon as we got back to Garden City, I jumped right back into another truck and went back up there," said Musick.
Drivers work 12-hour shifts to ensure roads are being cleared around the clock. So far this season alone, there have been five plow strikes in Idaho. Last season, there were 12, with some turning fatal.
"Yeah, so if there's serious injury or a fatality to somebody out there on the roadway, whether it's in a snow plow incident, or our guys roll out on two-vehicle crashes all the time and see some really tragic stuff, that's really where the [Critical Incident Stress Management] team comes in," said Chris Larsen, a Safety and Compliance Officer for ITD.
The CISM team is an internal peer-to-peer support system that helps drivers navigate high-stress situations.
Their one ask of you:
"Give us room to work, that's all we really ask for," added Musick.
