Snowpocalypse 2014: Hercules claims first victim as man is crushed to death by 100ft salt pile and meteorologists warn it will get so cold exposed skin will freeze in fifteen minutes
By ALEX WARD and MICHAEL ZENNIE and ASSOCIATED PRESS
The huge nor'easter dubbed Hercules claimed its first victim as the
massive snowstorm began to dump up to 18 inches of snow across the
region - affecting 100 million people.
A man died in a tragic industrial accident today at a Philadelphia
facility after the heavy machine he was operating was crushed by a huge
pile of rock salt - which was being used to keep the roads clear.
The sad incident happened at 3.30 pm at the International Salt Facility
in Bucks County, Pennsylvania when the man was transporting the rock
salt with a front-end loader when the 100-foot pile toppled over and
buried him and his vehicle.
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Storm: A vehicle sits upside down after spinning out of control on
Interstate 295 during a snowstorm, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014, in Portland,
Maine
His colleagues and emergency crews frantically used shovels to try and
dig him out but when they reached the man he was found dead still
sitting in his seat.
Officials have not released the name or age of the victim.
The deadly winter storm is threatening 100 million people with up to 18
inches of snow and bitter cold temperatures tonight as it blasts across
the Midwest and bares down on the East Coast.
The evening commute on the first workday of 2014 could become
treacherous - or even impossible - as officials urge drivers from Maine
to Washington, D.C., to stay off the roads after 7pm.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this afternoon that three major
New York expressways would be closed from midnight until 5am Friday -
the Long Island Expressway, Interstate 87 South and Interstate 84.
Frozen: An electric utilities truck drives over a flooded road along the
waterfront during a snowstorm, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014, in Portland,
Maine
Newly minted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio struck a confidant pose
while facing his first major challenge as mayor just a day after taking
office, calling the city 'ready for whatever hits us.
'We have to get it right, no question about it,' de Blasio said. 'We are
focused like a laser on protecting this city and getting everyone
ready. We have all hands on deck.'
Residents in parts of New York can expect to experience dangerously low
temperatures, as will chills deep past zero degrees--cold enough to
freeze your skin.
'It's going to be dangerous to be outside during the overnight hours,'
National Weather Service meteorologist Tim Morrin told the Wall Street
Journal. 'Exposed skin could start to freeze within 15 minutes.'
Nearly 2,000 flights have been canceled and Boston's Logan International
Airport - one of the busiest in the nation - will shut down entirely
from 8pm today until noon on Friday.
Crash: The snow and frigid cold made roads dangerous through the Midwest
and Northeast. Here, an SUV is seen after crashing near Kalamazoo,
Michigan
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