Decima Death Toll Rises After Widespread Traffic Pileups

Ryan Phillips, Sean Breslin and Ada Carr
Published: December 17,2016

Winter Storm Decima has been trekking farther east, dumping ice and heavy snow on many across the country.
Many northeast states are currently feeling the wintry mix that is causing 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.
The snowstorm moved into the northern Rockies on Thursday, dumping fresh snow on parts of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. A day earlier, travel in Portland, Oregon, was halted for hours as thousands of residents hit the roads at the same time in an attempt to get home ahead of the storm, creating a gridlock situation.
Several avalanches have been triggered by the snowstorm, including one in the Teton Pass area of Wyoming that nearly pushed a Jeep off an embankment.
(MORE: Where Winter Storm Decima Will Go Next)
In total, seven deaths have been confirmed from this winter storm.

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.
"One of the factors we are going to look at is that freezing rain was coming through the area, but it's very early on," he said.
Clark said one lane of I-95 southbound is now open to traffic, while the northbound side is still shut down as the wreckage is being cleaned.
The Maryland Transportation Authority said that state toll roads are currently closed and I-95 northbound lanes remain blocked past Caton Avenue.

The National Weather Service for the Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas said the winter weather and freezing rain advisories will be extended until noon Saturday.
The Maryland Transit Administration Light Rail said customers could see delays on Saturday due to weather conditions. Patrons are being urged to use caution entering and exiting stations and trains.
Weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles said freezing rain has stopped but the ice will remain and will probably freeze once it gets colder tonight.

Missouri

Icy conditions were troublesome in parts of Missouri on Friday, leading to numerous car accidents with injuries and spinouts, even near the St. Louis area.

"It doesn't look that bad on the radar, but out in Warren County, it is just a sheet of ice," Warrenton Fire Protection District spokesman Brett Garrison told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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.
MoDOT issued a statewide travel advisory through overnight Saturday, telling residents to stay off the roads unless it's an emergency, and to pack an emergency kit if they must travel, KMOV.com reported.

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. The victims' identities have not yet been released.

Wyoming

An avalanche covered a road in Teton Pass at about 4:50 p.m. Thursday afternoon, burying a Jeep with the driver inside, according to the Jackson Hole News and Guide. According to Leslie Goodyear, a motorist who witnessed the slide, the unidentified driver of the Jeep swam through the snow and out of the vehicle to escape possible death.
"He told me the windshield had broken out, and 'I was punching through it to get air. I got claustrophobic and it closed in around me,'" Goodyear told the News and Guide.
(MORE: Flooding, Mudslides Reported in California)
Officials believe the avalanche was triggered by a skier, and the road was closed overnight, the report added. The driver of the Jeep was not hurt in the incident.
With nearly a foot of snow already on the ground in some areas, the Wyoming Transportation Department advised residents to avoid travel, if possible, in the Jackson and Sheridan areas, the AP reported. The request included Interstate 90 near Sheridan, the report added.

Montana

Frigid temperatures caused an ice jam on the Salmon River Friday, according to NWS.
With more than a foot of snow already on the ground in some parts of the state, some Montana schools altered extracurricular activities for the upcoming weekend. In Billings, all extracurricular activities were canceled for the entire weekend at all public schools, and participants would be notified if their games or events would be made up, the AP reported.

Utah

Strong winds brought by Decima caused electrical pole fires that knocked out power to hundreds, Rocky Mountain Power spokeswoman Margaret Oler told the AP. Overnight Thursday into Friday morning, nearly 2,700 homes and businesses lost power in the town of Tooele, which was among the highest number of outages for any city.
An avalanche warning was also issued for northern Utah as the snow began to fall. Traffic was also slowed by heavy snow in some areas on Friday.

Oregon

Top snowfall total: 21 inches, near La Pine
Portland remained at a standstill Friday, two days after Decima delivered its first round of snow, because below-freezing temperatures kept ice from melting off the roads.
Freezing rain accumulated to a thickness of more than three-quarters of an inch in the Eugene area as well, leading to many downed trees and power outages.
In Portland, thousands of drivers attempted to get home from work Wednesday before the storm cranked up, but the sudden influx of vehicles created a widespread traffic jam. The Oregon Department of Transportation tweeted that a gridlock situation had developed all over the city, and residents were urged to stay home, if possible.
"It's frustrating," Kimberly Wrolstad, a driver who got stranded for more than 90 minutes along Interstate 5, told the Associated Press. "I don't know what's going on. I don't know if there are accidents. I know some of the trucks are having difficulties."
(MORE: Another Arctic Blast Is on Its Way)

Shortly after 5:30 p.m. PST Wednesday evening, the Oregonian reported that a school bus in Happy Valley had spun out of control on a snow-covered road, but no students were injured. Most of the children, who were heading home from Scouters Mountain Elementary School, were picked up, but a small group remained on the bus and waited for a ride home after the incident, the report added.
The winter storm forced officials in the Oregon City School District to cancel classes Thursday, as well as the Vancouver, Lake Oswego and Gladstone school districts, the Oregonian also reported. Schools across the Portland area were closed again Thursday, according to the AP.
Traffic was even more precarious for Portland residents because the city does not use rock salt on its roads, for environmental reasons, and because snow is so rare, according to the AP.
In the Portland suburb of Lake Oswego, drivers had difficulties driving up a short hill in a residential neighborhood. Many cars didn't make it, sliding slowly backward and sideways down the hill. By evening, the quiet suburban street was littered with abandoned cars parked at all angles as snow continued to fall.

An avalanche near the HooDoo Ski Area shut down U.S. 20, according to the Oregonian. A second avalanche was reported shortly after, but officials said there were no injuries reported from either.

Washington

Top snowfall total: 7 inches, near Goldendale and near Mayview
As the storm moved east on Thursday, several crashes were reported in Spokane along Interstate 90, the Washington State Patrol told the AP. There was also a fatal collision between a semi truck and two cars on U.S. 195 in Whitman County early Thursday morning, but it was not yet known if that crash was caused by the weather conditions, the report added.
Schools in Pasco, Richland and Kennewick were closed Thursday, while Spokane and Yakima schools were delayed, the AP also said.

Illinois

Friday two people were rescued after their ice boat fell through thin ice on Crystal Lake, ABC 7 Chicago reports. Fire officials said the vessel overturned as it fell into the water.
The victims were evaluated at the scene and refused to be taken to the hospital. One of the rescuers also had to be treated after being exposed to the cold water.
Multiple accidents shut down Interstate 70 between exits 45 and 36 in Greenville, NWS reports.
The Chicago Department of Aviation said 325 flights at O'Hare International Airport had been canceled and 101 flights at Midway International Airport were canceled, ABC 7 Chicago also reports.