Old Man Winter is back

View larger image Daily View larger image Wrecker crews prepare to remove two vehicles that were involved in a chain reaction crash Monday afternoon on Old Valley Pike north of Maurertown. Rich Cooley/Daily

Area motorists slip and slide after sudden snow squalls

By Kaitlin Mayhew -- kmayhew@nvdaily.com

Unexpected snow squalls were a factor in several vehicle crashes across the region Tuesday.

Four crashes were reported in and near town between 7 and 8 a.m., Strasburg Police Chief Tim Sutherly said. There were many other instances of cars sliding on the roads but not hitting anything, he said.

"[The snow] just came very fast and what hit the road melted and turned to instant ice at the worst possible time, during rush hour," Sutherly said. "It was just the perfect storm of bad things. Road crews weren't really prepared for it."

The Strasburg-area crashes occurred on Lee Street, Va. 55 (John Marshall Highway) and West King Street.

There were no injuries and most if not all involved less than $1,000 in damage to each vehicle, he said.

Sutherly said that school buses were on the road during several of the incidents.

Although none were involved in any area crashes, he said, although there were some incidents of buses sliding on the roads.

Seven vehicles were involved in an incident at 2:30 p.m. at the intersection of Old Valley Pike and Park Lane in Maurertown.

Maj. Scott Proctor of the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office said black ice was the culprit in two crashes. The first occurred around right in front of the interchange and the second shortly after about 100 yards south on U.S. 11.

The Sheriff's Office was assisted at the scene by the Toms Brook and the Woodstock volunteer fire departments. One person with minor injuries was taken to Shenandoah Memorial Hospital, Proctor said.

No charges were filed but the road remained closed for about an hour. Proctor estimated that traffic was slowed in the area for almost two hours.

The incidents are still under investigation.

Crashes in Clarke and Frederick counties sent three people to the hospital.

At 6:30 a.m., a 2000 Jeep traveling north on Interstate 81 ran off the road to the left and overturned in the median near the 301 mile marker in Frederick County, said state police spokesman Sgt. F.L. "Les" Tyler. Snow was falling at the time of the crash, which played a role in the incident, he said.

The driver, Wayne Wert, 59, of Strasburg was taken to Winchester Medical Center. Trooper R.D. Riggs, the investigating officer, did not file any charges, Tyler said.

At about 7 a.m., a three-vehicle crash in Clarke County sent two drivers to Winchester Medical Center with minor injuries.

A 2004 Toyota Camry, driven by Lawan Headen, 33, of Winchester, traveling north on U.S. 340, struck the rear of a 1997 Chrysler stopped in the left lane behind the third vehicle, a 1990 Nissan sedan.

Tyler said the force of the collision caused the Chrysler to strike the sedan. Ashley Yairder, 19, of Winchester, and Jarrett McCall, 26, of Stephens City, were taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries, Tyler said.

Trooper A.W. Backus charged Headen with following too closely. Weather was a factor in the crash, Tyler said.

At least 32 vehicles were involved in a pileup in the northbound lanes of Interstate 81 after a sudden snow squall blew over the highway in the Harrisonburg area.

Tyler said the pileup Tuesday morning resulted in four injuries, three described as minor.
Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Sandy Myers said the squall coated the road surface with snow, which immediately stuck because of the cold temperatures.

Traffic was backed up in both directions of the interstate and the northbound lane was closed for several hours. It reopened around 12:30 p.m.

Another rash of crashes occurred late Tuesday as more snow fell across the area.

Staff writer Alex Bridges and the Associated Press contributed to this story.