Wintry mess means money for local business

After nearly three weeks of virtually no measurable precipitation, Wednesday’s snow and sleet caused several accidents on Eastern Idaho’s roads and highways.

At Dan’s Collision Repair in Idaho Falls business bloomed.

“People have been calling, saying they’ve slid off and they need to be pulled out, or they’ve been in a collision and they need their vehicle to be tore down for estimates,” said general manager Scott Gutke. “It’s definitely been crazy.”

Gutke said even in Idaho, wintry weather can catch drivers off guard.

“It’s been three weeks since we’ve had our last storm, so people don’t really forget how to drive, it’s just not used to the road conditions,” said Gutke.

Whether it’s a minor bump or a major rebuild, accidents happen quickly.

“It’s easy just to hit your brakes too hard and get into a slide,” said Gutke. “It doesn’t take much to get into a wreck.”

While they’re busy now, office manager Becky Mattia said the bulk of the rush is yet to come.

“Usually the day of the accidents isn’t quite as busy as the next following couple of days,” said Matthia.

But, even with money on their minds, care for customers comes first.

“If someone gets in a wreck we like to help them out,” said Gutke. “We don’t like to see anybody hurt in collisions, but we like the snow, that’s for sure.”