Following the blizzard of a couple of weeks ago, that started the recent whiteout, I saw an article in the paper that said there were more than 20 incidents on the turnpike involving snow coming off a roof and hitting the vehicle behind. It happened to me last year, and I plead for everyone take a minute to take the snow off their roof.

My wife and adult daughter were in the car with me. A sheet of ice lifted off an SUV in front of me, struck the front of my car, then shattered off the windshield. Fortunately, it didn’t shatter the glass, but, for a minute, I could see nothing.

I spoke with three insurance representatives, and the first question each of them asked was, Did you get the license plate number?

Frankly, I was a little busy just trying to keep the car on the road and saving our lives. The SUV was black, and that’s all I remember. It kept going. Not one of these representatives of a national insurance company asked if anyone was hurt.

The result was an $1,800 bill. The insurer wanted me to pay the $250 deductible for collision. I refused — I didn’t hit anything; it hit me. But the “collision” was on my record. I did, however, pay a $100 deductible.

The incident was very scary and put our three lives at stake. I urge people to take a minute to clear the snow off the roof of their vehicle. That’s all it takes and it might very well save someone’s life.

Robert Woodbury

Winslow