200 Traffic Crashes, Fatality Reported Amid Winter Storm: VSP

VIRGINIA — The first winter storm of the season brought hazardous road conditions to the area Wednesday morning into the afternoon in the Shenandoah Valley and Northern Virginia. As of 3 p.m., Virginia State Police had responded to around 200 traffic crashes and are investigating one fatality.

The fatality happened on Interstate 81 in Pulaski County. Police say the single-vehicle crash was among a series of I-81 crashes at the 94 mile marker Wednesday morning. Around 7:45 a.m., a Toyota Tacoma went off the right side of I-81, struck an embankment and overturned. The driver, Brannagan K. Locklear, 19, of Pembroke, North Carolina, was taken to the hospital and died of his injuries. He was not wearing a seatbelt. Police say slick road conditions factored into the crash.

Most of the 200 traffic crashes and at least 125 disabled vehicles state police responded to involved vehicles sliding off the road and into a ditch or embankment, among other situations. Many involved damage to vehicles and not injuries.

Police say crashes have been increasing in Northern Virginia since about 1 p.m. Drivers are urged to slow their driving to the conditions of the road, increase driving distance between the vehicle in front, wear a seatbelt and use headlights. Drivers should also be prepared for treated roads to ice over as temperatures drop during the evening.

At 1 p.m., the Virginia Department of Transportation urged Northern Virginia drivers to avoid nonessential travel during rush hour and overnight as the weather transitions between snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain. VDOT crews will be working to plow snow, treat roads for icy conditions, remove downed trees and check for flooding.

The conditions vary by area, with heavier snow accumulations in western Loudoun County and west of the immediate DC area. VDOT crews are responding to heavy snow in western Loudoun and a mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain in the rest of the Northern Virginia district. Plowing of roads will occur when 2 or more inches has accumulated.

Prince William County, Manassas, Manassas Park, Fairfax County, Arlington County, Falls Church, Alexandria are under a winter weather advisory until 1 a.m. Thursday. The National Weather Service says rain and freezing rain will turn back to snow at night before ending. These areas will see total snow and sleet accumulations of 1 to 2 inches.

The winter weather warning continues for Loudoun County and other areas west of the DC region until 4 a.m. Thursday. In western Loudoun and other areas east of the Blue Ridge mountains, heavy mixed precipitation is expected to bring a total of 6 to 12 inches of snow and sleet. Eastern Loudoun is expected to get 3 to 6 inches of snow and sleet.

Residents can monitor road conditions in Virginia at www.511virginia.org and check the latest weather alerts from the National Weather Service at www.weather.gov/lwx.