‘People are going to die.’ Snow, ice strand hundreds of drivers on I-95 in Virginia
Josh Lederman, a correspondent with NBC News, was letting snow melt in his dog’s water bowl to keep him hydrated after seven-plus hours trapped in his car on Interstate 95 in Virginia.
By 2 a.m., he and hundreds of other drivers were growing increasingly concerned as temperatures lingered below freezing, their vehicles sitting immobile in the icy slush that had accumulated on the interstate. Some were worried about conserving gas. Others were running low on food and water. Emergency vehicles were few and far between.
“Are we here for the night?” Lederman said in a Twitter thread. “Should we try to hunker down, get warm and sleep? Is that safe? With the car on or off?
Some drivers were stranded for nearly 24 hours before traffic started inching forward mid-morning on Tuesday, Jan. 4.
All northbound and southbound lanes from exits 152 to 104 on I-95 were shut down while crews worked to “remove stopped trucks, treat for icing, and plow snow” after 12 inches fell in the Fredericksburg area, the Virginia Department of Transportation said in a Jan. 4 news release.
VDOT said officials were working to guide vehicles trapped on the interstate to nearby interchanges, and more trucks were being deployed to remove debris and treat the roads.
“We know many travelers have been stuck on Interstate 95 in our region for extraordinary periods of time over the past 24 hours, in some cases since Monday morning,” District Engineer Marcie Parker said in the release. “This is unprecedented, and we continue to steadily move stopped trucks to make progress toward restoring lanes.”
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tweeted just after 8 a.m. that his team “has been working throughout the night.”
“State and local emergency personnel are continuing to clear downed trees, assist disabled vehicles, and re-route drivers,” he said. “An emergency message is going to all stranded drivers connecting them to support, and the state is working with localities to open warming shelters as needed.”
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine was among the motorists trapped.
“I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday,” he tweeted just before 8:30 a.m. “19 hours later, I’m still not near the Capitol.”
VDOT and its Fredericksburg office started tweeting about weather affecting travel on I-95 as early as 6:45 a.m. on Jan. 3. About 15 minutes later, two southbound lanes were shut down for a crash involving a tractor trailer. Transportation officials urged drivers to stay off the road as snow continued to fall and visibility remained low.
By noon, traffic on I-95 South had nearly ground to a halt after a crash involving six tractor trailers, VDOT Fredericksburg tweeted. Disabled tractor trailers hampered drivers in the northbound lanes soon after.
While lanes reopened intermittently throughout the afternoon, disabled cars and downed trees forced them to shut down again shortly thereafter.
“We wish we had a timetable, ETA or an educated guess on when travel will resume on I-95,” VDOT Fredericksburg tweeted just before 9 p.m. “It’s at a standstill in our area with multiple incidents. Its frustrating & scary. Please know our crews don’t stop. Crews will work 24/7 until ALL state-maintained roads are safe for travel.”
According to Lederman, the mood on I-95 seemed to shift from frustration to concern somewhere near the 5-hour mark.
Drivers began taking “exercise breaks” and walking their dogs along the shoulder, he said, while others tried to shovel snow from under the tires using their feet. Some who were concerned about conserving gas shut off their cars — and consequently the heat — while it was 27 degrees outside, Lederman tweeted.
Susan Phalen, a former senior adviser with the State Department, said she witnessed people shielding themselves with car doors so they could relieve themselves on the interstate.
At 7:22 a.m. on Dec. 4 after about 11 hours stranded, she tweeted that it was becoming “increasingly dangerous the longer we are stranded out here.”
“People need medicine, water, food, and toilets,” Phalen said just after 8 a.m. “I worry for the elderly out here.”
Troy Hunt, from Raleigh, North Carolina, said he was trapped for 20 hours.
“Can someone please help us,” he tweeted just after 2 a.m.
Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” said in a tweet around 10:30 a.m. that his friend was among those stuck for more than 20 hours.
“We have to find a way to get national guard here,” the friend reportedly told him. “Diabetics and babies down here. People are going (to) die here.”
