Bust or boom? C.O. businesses see both from the snow

Side-swipes, rollovers, rear-enders: The lot at Precision Body & Paint features cars with all sorts of damage , the aftermath of a week of snow and ice on Central Oregon roads.

“Some in our industry call this harvest season,” Production Manager Andy Hoard said Tuesday. “We’ve seen a lot of collisions come in.”

It’s proof that last week’s big dump and the leftover frozen mess has made for often brutal driving. Tuesday afternoon, a multi-vehicle collision, including a semi, sent one person to the hospital after a crash on Highway 97 at Powers Road.

As mechanics scramble to make repairs, there’s another industry that the snow is keeping on its toes.

“We’ve been super-busy, just fixing a lot of freeze breaks and trying to do preventative stuff too,” said journeyman plumber Dusty Burris.

Burris said the company he works for, Severson Plumbing & Mechanical, has received calls almost around the clock since last week.

“We can’t get to every call — we just have too many calls and not enough people,” Burris said.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, some businesses say the snow can’t melt fast enough.

“It’s been terrible, absolutely awful,” said Donner Flower Shop Owner Doris Dilday. “I mean, my drivers are slipping and sliding all over the place.”

Because of the snow, Dilday has halted all deliveries to Redmond, Sunriver and Sisters, she said getting to those places takes too long — if drivers make it there at all.

“It has affected the bottom line, and hopefully it will go away,” Dilday said.

A wish possibly wasted — more snow and freezing rain is expected — meaning delivery businesses could take another hit, and others could see a holiday bump.

“That will increase the likelihood of more accidents,” Hoard said.