Icy East Chicago Roads

Chicago-area drivers and pedestrians alike struggled to control their travel on the morning of December 26, 2008, after a "flash freeze" covered the area in a slick layer of ice. I shot video of the event at the intersection of Indianapolis Blvd. and 143rd Street in East Chicago, Indiana, between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. Normally I shoot stills exclusively during big news events, but this was one situation where I felt video told the story a lot better.

By far my favorite subjects are the man and woman in the green car who start things off by getting stuck in the middle of the intersection. After failed requests for help from the car behind them ("Tap us!"), the driver exits the car *while it is still in drive* to throw salt under the wheels. Only in EC.

You'll note some intermittent audio drop-outs in the clip. When I first headed outside to start shooting, I slipped and fell pretty hard, taking my camera down with me. Despite my best reflex-driven efforts to get the camera up in the air as I fell (because camera equipment supersedes personal safety), it took a hit on the sidewalk. I think I misaligned something in the tape transport in the process, lovely.