Roads turn to ice after snow showers

Crashes were “everywhere” on Wednesday night, according to a Prince William County emergency dispatcher.

A sheet of ice crippled drivers making their way home after work. The snow began falling about 5:30 p.m. and lasted about three hours.

Below-freezing temperatures and vehicles rolling on roads caused slush to turn to ice.

“There are crashes everywhere tonight,” the dispatcher told Potomac Local. “We’ve called in multiple crashes and problem areas to [the Virginia Department of Transportation] tonight.”

The most problematic areas in Prince William County were streets east of Hoadly Road. Route 1, Dale Boulevard, and Cardinal Drive were all problem areas for drivers. Joplin Road, always notorious for crashes, was no exception.

“We’ve got cars off the road everywhere,” she said.

Things weren’t’ any better on Route 610 in Stafford County. Drivers crawled along the four-lane road trying to reach their destinations, slipping, and sliding all over the road.

When the lanes merged from four to two at Aquia Creek, all traffic halted and drivers were left stranded in their cars. All of this came after fire and rescue crews worked nearly 50 crashes on Stafford roadways between 6 and 9 p.m.

In one of those crashes, 18-year-old Denise Cable ran her car off the roadway after working a 12-hour shift at a McDonalds in North Stafford. Her car left the road near Dog Hollow Lane, slid off the embankment, just missing a tree.

“I was going 25 mph and then felt the car slip, so I did what I thought you should do and turn the wheel the way you are sliding, and then ended up in the ditch,” the injured woman said.

A Rock Hill Volunteer Firefighter gave the young woman a coat as she shivered in the bitter cold temperatures, and a tow truck was called to pull her Nissan Versa coupe from the ditch.

In a press release, Virginia State Police reported ice-related crashes all over Northern Virginia:

As this first wave of winter weather blankets the Commonwealth, Virginia State Police are staying busy. As of 8 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 20), state troopers are responding to 163 traffic crashes statewide.

· The majority of those crashes involve only damage to vehicles.

· State police are still on the scene of a fatal crash in Bedford County. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

· A Virginia State Police trooper in Northern Virginia on I-495 was working a crash when he was struck by another vehicle. Injuries are minor…but he is still being evaluated for treatment.

Virginians are reminded to please avoid unnecessary travel. If you must go out, please slow down… buckle up…be alert for slick road conditions…and do NOT drive distracted. Drive with Care. Drive to Save Lives.

Believe it or not, we’re told Virginia highway crews treated major highways like Interstate 95, primary roads such as Route 1, and secondary roads like Route 610 on Wednesday.

“We urge all drivers to slow down and use caution when on the roads tonight,” said VDOT spokeswoman Kelly Hannon.

Despite the gridlock, Wednesday’s snow showers are only a precursor to the big snow event we expect later this week. About a foot or more of snow should begin falling Friday and continue to Sunday.