Watch as a snow plow driver launches a spray of slush into oncoming highway traffic, leading to a 40-car accident on the Ohio Turnpike

The snowplow operator in Ohio has been suspended after he directed snow and ice over the highway median and into oncoming traffic.

The incident spread across several miles, causing accidents involving roughly 40 vehicles and injuring 12 people, law enforcement officials told local media.

A video from truck driver Michael Lemon shows passenger cars traveling down an otherwise gray and dreary road scene when a sudden burst of slush blanketed everything and caused one vehicle to spin off of the embankment.

—Clay LePard (@ClayLePard) January 24, 2022

The plow driver was taken off the shift and put on administrative leave after being tested for drugs and alcohol, according to the statement.

The highway has one of the best safety records in the nation, and the Turnpike Commission employees have special training for clearing snow and ice. The Ohio Department of Transportation is separate from the commission.

This was an isolated incident involving a single operator and is not representative of our employees or our operations.

The incident is unusual for a profession that requires a commercial drivers license and additional training, but transportation officials are concerned about having enough drivers to operate safely.

In December, transportation officials in Washington, Montana, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania told the Associated Press they were facing an ongoing shortfall of licensed and trained snowplow drivers.

Barbara LaBoe, a spokeswoman for the Washington state Department of Transportation, said that when plowing the road you need to know where the bridge abutment is and where the expansion joints are.

Some towns in Massachusetts offered wages up to $310 per hour, while Colorado added a $2,000 snow bonus for road-maintenance-workers.