The weather had originally been nice, with the temperature warming back up to around zero degrees. Yet yesterday evening, without any warning, another heavy snowfall had come.
When people got up in the morning, the snowplows had already made two rounds. The piles of snow along the roadside, blackened by dirty water, looked filthy and disgusting.
Fortunately, the Federal Government had gained experience dealing with cold weather. They used garbage trucks to haul away the dirty snow instead of leaving it piled there.
Because the weather was so cold, the snow would not melt into water on its own. Instead, it would freeze into a mound of ice, creating a certain risk of accidents.
During the first two years after the sudden changes in the weather began, one city had left the accumulated snow piled along the roadside without managing it. It had eventually frozen into a huge lump of ice.
Some fellow who was obviously missing a screw in his head was walking down the road when, for some reason, he suddenly ran over and kicked it.
The result was predictable. He fell and broke his leg.
Then the idiot sued City Hall and actually won. City Hall ended up paying him more than two thousand dollars in medical expenses.
After that, the snow along the roadsides was cleared every day. In sections where snow tended to accumulate, signs were also put up warning people not to step on the roadside snow, to prevent injuries and accidents.
This neatly avoided legal risks. If another idiot fell after stepping on a pile of snow, even if he died from it, it would have nothing to do with City Hall.
Of course, they still removed the piles of snow that needed to be hauled away.
Only a few days after the