Caught on camera: News 12 employee recounts terrifying encounter with flying ice on the road

Last Saturday, News 12 morning producer Gabby Taylor came face-to-face with something many of us fear - flying ice off someone else's vehicle.

Jim Murdoch

Jan 17, 2024, 10:31 PM

Updated 262 days ago

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Most of New Jersey hadn't seen wintry weather in almost two years - until Tuesday. News 12 saw a lot of crashes on the roads - and already this year, a News 12 our employee had a terrifying encounter with flying ice, all caught on camera.
Last Saturday, News 12 morning producer Gabby Taylor came face-to-face with something many of us fear - flying ice off someone else's vehicle.
"I felt like I saw my life flash before my eyes for a second there," said Taylor. "It could have been a lot worse. I was really, really thankful it wasn’t worse."
It happened on Route 33 in the Lehigh Valley. In both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, driving with ice and snow on your vehicle is illegal.
"It can kill people. Especially if your windshield is shattered, you lose your visibility, you can’t make appropriate aggressive moves to stop in time, could be very dangerous," said Wall Township Police Chief Sean O'Halloran.
Buddy Carr runs Carr's Driving School in Monmouth and Ocean counties, and says you don't need to be an expert navigating the treacherous winter conditions in the state - just use common sense and slow down.
"When you get to the car make sure you warm it up the ice it scrape it have a good scraper you got to take the snow off not just the windows, but the roof, the hood, trunk, it's got to be clear," said Carr.
"Regardless of the car you drive, you want to be careful you want to be safe you need to anticipate and drive slow is the key," he said.
As for Taylor, her terrifying ordeal left her shaken but unhurt - the only damage sustained was a cracked windshield.
"It's a huge hazard, like I said, it could have been way worse but with all of that compacted snow, a sunny day, all the snow we had gotten it literally was like a cinder block being thrown at my windshield," explained Taylor.
Police will stop people if they are driving with snow and ice - fines range up to $75, but if ice damages other people's property or causes injuries, those increase up to $1,000.