Close call has city officials warning parents to keep kids out of deep snow piles


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SPANISH FORK — The recent series of storms has certainly dropped a lot of snow throughout much of Utah.

This week, Spanish Fork city administrators put a message on social media urging parents to be careful as their kids play in the deep snow.

“A lot of children probably haven’t seen this much snow, so their parents may not have had the opportunity to tell them about the dangers of a snowplow on the road,” said Tyler Jacobson, assistant city manager for Spanish Fork City.

The warning came after a close call involving a snowplow driver whose quick actions most likely saved some young lives.

On Wednesday, Louis Schardine was about to plow a large pile of snow on the edge of a residential street when something caught his eye.

“I was about 10 feet away from this pile and I seen two hands pop out of the snow,” Schardine said. “Just two little gloves, and I barely had enough time to swing my blade around and miss that pile.”

When he pulled over and looked back, Schardine saw three children climb out of the tunnel that he had just missed. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

“It was one of the scariest things that I had been through in a while,” Schardine said.

In the five years he's worked as a city plow driver, Schardine said he's often seen children playing too close to the road.

“Especially with all the storms we’ve had, it’s just a playground for them,” he said.

After Wednesday's near miss, Schardine is being extra careful as he travels from street to street and urges all parents to keep their children away from the streets and the plows.

“I’d like to see them playing in the yard or in a park designated for sledding on the mountain,” Schardine said.

A 13-year-old boy in New York was killed last month after a similar situation with a snow plow.

Police say the boy, who was playing in a snow mound with a friend, died after they were buried in snow dumped by a public works crew.

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Keith McCord

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