Saturday night saw a slew of wrecks as the first snow of the season fell in Boyle County, putting a damper on Christmas festivities in Perryville.

“There were probably at least a dozen wrecks in the county,” said Mike Wilder, director of Danville-Boyle County Emergency Management. “All the viaducts and bridges were so slick and it came so fast. It was the first of the season — it takes people a while to get used to it.”

Pretty much all of the wrecks were non-injury crashes, Wilder said. Mitchellsburg Knob Road was one of the worst stretches in the county, he added.

“A lot of cars stalled on that hill there,” he said, calling it a “long night” for first responders. “It was brutal there for a while.”

Perryville saw three wrecks within about five minutes, said Perryville Fire Chief Anthony Young. All were on the bridge that crosses the Chaplin River on West Second Street in Perryville

“The bridge iced up really quickly,” he said. “The temperatures dropped a little and the whole bridge became nothing but a skating rink.”

The first of the three wrecks happened at about 5:15 p.m. The cars were able to pull off the bridge, but as Young — who had turned onto West Second Street at the light prior to the accident — turned back to help them, two trucks crashed on the bridge within minutes.

“We got them off the bridge,” Young said.

He and another firefighter were then walking across the bridge, trying to get people to slow down, when two more cars hit their brakes as they hit the ice.

“They ended up on the sidewalk where we were,” he said. “We scattered.”

“People see the signs, ‘bridge freezes before roadway,’ and don’t give it any thought,” he said. “They were definitely lucky.”

Young spoke with Main Street Perryville Director Vicki Goode, who ultimately decided to reschedule the city’s parade for a date to be determined. The city’s yearly pilgrimage was cancelled.

Goode said the board will determine the date for the parade on Monday; an updated date and time will be published in The Advocate-Messenger.

Wilder said this weekend was not the last of the bad weather or bad roads for Boyle County.

“That’s the beginning of it. We’ve got some systems coming in this week, too,” he said. “Tuesday, there will be a band of snow that might even be measurable. It’s going to be cold. It’s wintertime.”

SAFE DRIVING TIPS

According to a press release from the Kentucky State Police, there were 12,412 crashes and 51 highway deaths due to slippery roads in 2016.

During winter weather, KSP recommends drivers follow these tips:

• reduce speed in wintery conditions;

• allow more travel time;

• increase distance between vehicles;

• use caution on bridges and overpasses;

• avoid using cruise control;

• charge your phone before traveling;

• only travel on a full tank of gas in case you get stranded; and

• always dress warmly and carry a blanket in your car, along with a winter survival kit.