Sunday, December 18, 2016

Decima Death Toll Rises After Widespread Traffic Pileups

Pam Wright, Ryan Phillips, Sean Breslin and Ada Carr
Published: December 18,2016


Winter Storm Decima is winding up its trek across the country, bringing snow and ice to many in the east and portions of the southeast.
Many northeast states were slammed by the wintry mix that spurred travel headaches and dangerous situations on some of the nation's busiest roads. The latest victims of the winter storm were reported on Saturday morning near Baltimore after a major pileup on I-95. Icy conditions also caused havoc in Virginia and led to at least one death in Fairfax County.
As the storm nears the end of its life, parts of the East will continue to see some ice and snow.
(MORE: Where Winter Storm Decima Will Go Next)
In total, 15 deaths have been confirmed from this winter storm, reports CNN.

Tennessee 

Wintry conditions were being felt in some southern states and reports of sleet and freezing rain began to come in from the Volunteer State.
The National Weather Service on Sunday morning reported freezing rain in portions of the state, including Greenbrier, Westmoreland, Clarksville and White House. Slushy roads and sleet were also reported in Jackson, Tennessee.
Weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce said Nashville reported light freezing rain Sunday morning, but precipitation should end by lunchtime.

Michigan

Icy conditions appear to have played a role in a southwestern Michigan crash that killed a motorist, reports the Associated Press.
Robert Mayberry, 73, was died Saturday following a head-on crash in Barry County's Baltimore Township. Sheriff's officials told WOOD-TV a vehicle traveling north on M-37 went into a southbound lane to avoid a crash and struck Mayberry's vehicle.
Mayberry was transported to a local hospital, where he later died.

Virginia

Virginia State Police said a 23-vehicle wreck on I-495 early Saturday morning in Fairfax County caused four people to be treated for varying injuries and may have resulted in the death of another.
Virginia State Police Public Relations Manager Corinne Geller told weather.com that they received a call about a deceased man lying on the shoulder of a road approximately a mile north of I-495 where the 23-car pileup occurred. It was confirmed that the deceased person left their car on foot, which was disabled in the major pileup.
Geller said state police are currently investigating the cause of death and are not releasing the person's identity.
The interstate was temporarily closed following the pileup, but one lane has since been opened to allow traffic to move.
Weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles said freezing rain fell for a few hours during the early morning hours in Fairfax county with temperatures in the upper 20s.

Maryland

Two deaths have been confirmed on I-95 northbound after tanker truck fell off an Interstate 95 bridge and exploded early Saturday morning.
Baltimore Fire Department spokesman Chief Roman Clark told weather.com in an interview that approximately 15 people were transported by ambulance to local hospitals following the wreck, with injuries ranging from minor to serious. The deadly incident spurred a 55-car pileup and shut down both sides of the interstate near Baltimore.
Another death was confirmed on I-95 near Baltimore early Saturday morning after a motorist was struck by a vehicle when they got out to check their car after a minor collision.
Kevin Ayd of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police told weather.com in an interview that the pileup was not as significant as the 55-car pileup on the northbound side, but still bad enough to cause an unconfirmed number of injuries and one death.

Indiana

Indiana State police told Fox 59 that there were two fatal crashes in Marion County as icy conditions gripped roads and interstates Friday night into Saturday afternoon.
Troopers reportedly responded to more than 380 property damage crashes from 10 p.m. Friday to 2 p.m. Saturday. Sixty of those crashes involved injuries and two were fatal, state police said.

Missouri

At least three deaths are being blamed on icy roads, according to the AP. In total, 10 people died on Missouri road Friday when the dangerous winter weather first arrived. Missouri State Highway Patrol crash reports blamed icy conditions for three of the deaths, but it wasn't immediately clear if slick roads were factors in the other fatal wrecks.
Since Friday, troopers have responded to 3,757 calls and 1,522 crashes involving 171 injuries and six fatal accidents, reports the AP.

According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, Interstate 29 became snow- and ice-covered Friday, making travel dangerous along that highway.
A multi-vehicle accident on I-44 and Lewis Road slowed traffic in the westbound lanes, leaving only a single lane open Friday, according to KMOV.com. One injury was reported and Missouri Highway Patrol had difficulty reaching the scene of the crash due to the traffic.
Numerous accidents were reported in Caldwell County and at least one was a rollover, according to the National Weather Service. Accidents were also reported across Livingston County, with one injury reported on Highway 65.
In Lexington, multiple multi-vehicle collisions were reported in Lafayette County and in the city, NWS also reports. Multiple emergency responders became stuck due to icy conditions.

Nebraska

Road conditions worsened, especially in eastern Nebraska, as Decima hit the state on Friday. Interstate 80 eastbound was closed near Kearney because of a crash, and the state Department of Transportation reported nearly all roads across southern and eastern Nebraska were at least partially snow-covered Friday night.
"We have multiple vehicles in the ditch and multiple accidents at this time between Omaha and Lincoln," Lt. Craig Loveless of the Nebraska State Patrol told Omaha.com, adding that motorists "need to slow down. They need to give room to the folks in front of them ... and not make erratic lane changes."

Oklahoma

At least three people were killed on icy roads in the Sooner State Thursday night, according to the Associated Press, and more than 100 accidents were reported. All three fatalities occurred in the Oklahoma City area, where an eight-car pileup also occurred, the report added.

No comments:

Post a Comment