I-495 Death Saturday: Police Say Man Killed After Walking Away from 23-Vehicle Crash

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- Virginia State Police continue to investigate the multi-vehicle crash Saturday in the northbound lanes of Interstate 495 at the 50 mile marker. The chain-reaction crash occurred around 5:12 a.m., Saturday (Dec. 17), just as road conditions became slick and treacherous, police said. A total of 23 vehicles – to include two tractor-trailers – are confirmed to have been involved in the crash. There were no fatalities involved in this crash. Four people were transported from the scene to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The crash remains under investigation.

Approximately a mile north of the multi-vehicle crash at the 49 mile marker, reports came in to state police of a body lying near the northbound shoulder of I-495, police said.

State police immediately responded and found the male subject deceased. The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Fairfax Field Office responded to the scene to assist with the ongoing death investigation.

At this stage of the investigation, it appears the male subject was involved in the 23-vehicle crash and had walked away from his disabled vehicle, Virginia State Police said Saturday afternoon. His remains have been transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner for examination and autopsy. State police are still in the process of notifying next of kin.

The crash shut down I-495 northbound near Gallows Road for nearly five hours.

VDOT reported at 12:06 p.m. that the crash has been "cleared" at northbound I-495 at mile marker 50 in Fairfax County. Tolls have been reinstated on the express lanes.

Route 50 was also closed near Fair Oaks Mall and also reopened as of 11 a.m. Saturday after a fire truck slid off the roadway early Saturday. Saturday at approximately 5:25 a.m., a Fairfax County Fire And Rescue Department fire engine was involved in a crash at Route 50 and I-66 East in the Fair Oaks section of Fairfax County. The engine, from Fire Station 21, Fair Oaks, was responding to a call when the crash occurred. There were no reported injuries. Icy road conditions were a contributing factor in the crash.:

Photo posted by FCPD of fire truck that ran off the road near Fair Oaks mall early Saturday:

While I-495 northbound was closed during the crash investigation, cars detoured via the Virginia Express Lanes, where tolls were temporarily lifted but as of noon were back.

As of 7:45 a.m., Saturday (Dec. 17), Virginia State Police were investigating 41 reported traffic crashes in all, across the Northern Virginia region, police said in a statement. The majority involved damage-only to vehicles and no injuries. Several of the crashes involved two to four cars that slid into one another due to the slick road conditions.

• Also read: Power Outages Saturday in Fairfax County: Nearly 2,000 Homes Without Power
• Winter Weather Advisory Extended Until 12 Noon Saturday in Northern Virginia

Police advised drivers to stay off the roads until 12 noon Saturday.