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Dallas courtesy patrol hard at work helping drivers during winter storm
Dallas County courtesy patrol officers had their hands full helping drivers in North Texas who were stuck on the icy roads across the metroplex. FOX 4's Vania Castillo has more.
DALLAS - Thinking about taking to the roads during the Texas Winter Storm? You might want to think twice. FOX 4’s Vania Castillo spent the day with the Dallas Sheriff’s courtesy patrol.
A hazardous commute
Local perspective:
A flat tire on the interstate is not where you want to stop, especially during freezing conditions. As North Texas drivers attempted to take the road, they just needed extra help getting home.
Rocky Walker and Julie Petita were among the people who had to venture out on Monday. They headed home from work at the hospital, when trouble struck. Thankfully, help wasn’t far away.
"I kind of panicked, because of the cars, and everything that was coming," said Walker, the stranded driver. "We can change a tire, but we can't change the tire on ice."
"I’m a nurse, and I am an essential worker, so we got up before 4:30 this morning so that we could make it in on time," said Petita, the other stranded driver.
Patrolling the icy interstate
Big picture view:
Dallas Sheriff’s Courtesy Patrol unit helps out stranded drivers who can’t seem to get out of trouble during the Winter Storm.
"A lot of people are stranded, and it just feels good to come out there and help them out. Make sure they get the help they need in order to get home safely," said Courtesy patrol officer Richard Rodriguez.
"I've been seeing a lot of vehicles being stalled in the lane due to being stuck in snow, and in the shoulders as well."
Rodriguez described the icy road conditions that drivers on the road are still experiencing.
"It's very dangerous to be on the road right now due to the cold weather, with the icy roads, black ice, a lot of wet roads, slush ice. People still drive and think that they treat it as a regular dry road," he said.
On days like today, Rodriguez stays pretty busy with stranded drivers.
"Oftentimes I'll slow down, thinking it's a car accident, but they're just helping someone change the tire."
Danger of refreezing roads
Dig deeper:
Rodriguez instructed the hospital workers to drive their cars to a safer spot.
"It was dangerous because the flat tire was actually on the traffic side," he said.
Because of the icy roads, their car couldn’t make it up a hill to safety, so Rodriguez got to work.
"Allstate can come and, you know, AAA can come and change my tire, but they don't have those lights that these guys have," said Petita.
After a quick thank you, off the stranded healthcare workers went.
"Get a tire and then go home and relax," both passengers said.
On to the next call for Rodriguez.
What's next:
Rodriguez did say that they expect to see a lot more people needing their help after the snow that melted a bit freezes over again tonight, so they’re urging people to stay home and don’t drive.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4's Vania Castillo.