Stay off the roads! When it snows in Bluffton, even the cops get stuck

A Bluffton police car slipped off Highway 278 and got stuck in a grassy median Wednesday because of icy road conditions and unusual inclement winter weather in Beaufort County.

The car slid off Highway 278 between Buck Island Road and Simmonsville Road around noon, said Bluffton Police Department spokesperson Joy Nelson. It stayed there for about an hour, until a tow truck arrived to help.

No one was injured, including the officer inside the car, but traffic was temporary backed up on eastbound lanes as the tow truck helped the police car out of the median.

The vehicle was one of Bluffton Police Department’s older cars, according to Nelson, and it wasn’t accustomed to navigating through winter weather.

Bluffton residents should avoid driving as snow and ice continue to worsen already dangerous road conditions Wednesday, Nelson added. Multiple wrecks had occurred throughout Beaufort County by midday Wednesday.

Snow began falling in Beaufort County just before noon, and the county is likely to see 2 to 4 inches of accumulation through Wednesday evening.

This story was originally published January 3, 2018 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Stay off the roads! When it snows in Bluffton, even the cops get stuck."