After a fairly mild winter across the entire nation, snow began to fall on Monday in St. Louis, Missouri. The snow blanketed the city and all of its roads. Although the white cover was beautiful, the inclement weather caused some nasty road conditions. When drivers go too fast or follow others too closely on slick, icy roads accidents are bound to occur.

Up to three inches had fallen before the afternoon got underway which officials with the Missouri Department of Transportation say caused the roads to become slick and messy. As conditions worsened, car accident reports increased.

A fatal car accident took the life of a woman on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012. The crash occurred on Highway 79 in Lincoln County. The 44-year-old woman had been driving down the highway when another driver lost control of their vehicle and slammed into her small Mazda. Although snow was a suspect in factoring into the crash, the accident remained under investigation and officials failed to confirm or deny if it was to blame. The driver who lost control of her vehicle was a 30-year-old woman who reportedly suffered only minor injuries in the collision.

"This is a rude reminder that we are still in winter," said a meteorologist from the National Weather Service. Simply because the skies have yet to dump more than a foot of snow in one storm does not mean that drivers can throw caution to the wind and ignore safe driving procedures. Even when temperatures increase, melting the snow, it can quickly freeze over night and create ice. It may appear to be a clean road, but safe drivers will keep their distance. Those that do not can be held liable for the damages they cause.

Source: Southeast Missourian, "Snow sweeps across Missouri," Jim Salter, Feb. 14, 2012