Chicago Pedestrians Avoid Falling Ice

Pedestrians would be wise to heed the numerous signs warning of ice from above.

The deep freeze that sent Chicago to the depths of historical coldness are receding back to the polar region from where they leaked.

Earlier this week, Chicagoans were warned against life threatening cold that could induce frost bite in minutes. 

Today there's a new danger: falling ice. Pedestrians around Chicago were holding backpacks and purses above their heads and taking wide paths around high rise buildings. 

The tightly packed snow and ice sitting atop Chicago's high-and-mid rise buildings began thaw and slide off as temperatures rose past freezing. 

Ice strike events, while not overwhelmingly common, do happen. The Atlantic Cities pulled together some examples from the historical ice-death record in a 2012 post. Among the more horrific: Chicagoan Donald Booth was hit in the head in 1994 by a chunk of ice described to be the size of a microwave. In 1903 a police officer was killed when an icicle fell and cut off the top of his head. 

Down in Texas, this poor Jaguar luxury car was destroyed by falling ice after a 2013 storm that left North Texas covered. 

Experts say that the best course of action to avoid the ice falling is to heed the signs along sidewalks and to cross the street when you're warned of danger. 

Contact Us