by Mark Bellinger
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The heavy rain on Monday morning caused problems for drivers. In some places, ponds replaced roadways, and hydroplaning became an issue.
Metro Police investigated 73 accidents between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. Only 12 reported injuries.
Too much water and a speeding vehicle is a bad combination. Frank Farnsworth narrowly avoided getting hit by an SUV on Monday morning.
"Yeah, I'm okay. My heart was racing a little bit, because he was coming dead at me before I swerved, and he just barely clipped the back end of my truck," said Farnsworth.
Paramedics rushed the driver to the hospital.
Farnsworth blamed the accident on hydroplaning.
"He hit a patch of water, so he said," Farnsworth told NewsChannel 5.
Metro Police Sergeant Bob Sheffield said hydroplaning is just like driving on ice. Sheffield said drivers just simply lose control of their vehicles.
"Your first reaction is going to be, you're going to want to steer the vehicle. You're going to want to try and brake. Neither one of those things I promise you are going to allow you to do what you want it to do," said Sheffield.
So what do you do if your car starts to have a mind of its own? Sergeant Sheffield said take your foot off the brake and don't steer.
"So just let the vehicle take you where it wants to go. Sometimes unfortunately it might be the retaining wall, which is all too often the case, and it's been the case probably a couple of times this morning," said Sheffield.
He said the best way to avoid hydroplaning is to make sure you have plenty of tread on your tires and most importantly, slow down.
"If the tires are bald the less likelihood that that tire is going to stay on the road way," Sheffield added.
Farnsworth said he was going slow, and it prevented a worse accident.
"When I saw him coming at me, I had time to react. Otherwise he would have T-boned me," said Farnsworth.
Email: mbellinger@newschannel5.com
