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SALT LAKE CITY - Much of Utah will be celebrating a white Christmas, thanks to a fresh winter storm that hit Christmas Eve.
But as more snow falls, the slipping and sliding on the roads is increasing, making for a busy day for UDOT's Incident Management team.
Nick Jarrett is among those braving the storm to help with stranded drivers - professional "Good Samaritans" all year round. On a day like Monday, he and his crew were in high demand.
"We're going to be busy all day," said Jarrett.
There's not one day that is the same. When you go home at night, you know you did a good thing. You helped somebody.
–Nick Jarrett
When the snow started to blow sideways and cars slid off the highways, he and the other UDOT incident management specialists knew they were in for a frantic Christmas Eve.
A FedEx truck carrying holiday mail slid of I-80 into the median right as snow started to intensify.
"Some of them don't slow down when the snow comes in and they end up crashing," Jarrett said.
It all happened in a flurry. The temperature dropped 15 degrees in less than an hour and the number of crashes went from three to several dozen. With a record number of holiday travelers expected across the Intermountain West and a Christmas Eve snowstorm, trouble on the road threatens to derail the best laid Christmas plans.
On a day like Monday, Jarrett mainly handles traffic management. But he regularly helps stranded motorists with everything from flat tires and simple repairs, to emergency gasoline and even basic first aid.
How important are the trucks? In some cases, they're the difference between life and death.
Jarrett's been driving one for seven years.
"I think it's a lifesaver that we have these IMT trucks out there," he said. "We block the whole situation, we've got the message board, we've got big cones, we got all the lights."
When you're the traveler stranded on the side of the road, he's your cavalry to the rescue.
"There's not one day that is the same," said Jarrett. "When you go home at night, you know you did a good thing. You helped somebody."
UDOT had to call in extra incident management specialists for the brunt of the storm and they work until the storm lets up. Jarrett's advice: don't be in too big a hurry this Christmas Eve.
