Hundreds of crashes reported during Virginia winter storm: “Go extremely slow”

RICHMOND, Va. – VDOT has a crucial safety reminder as snow and ice cover Central Virginia.

“The best place to be during a winter storm is indoors,” VDOT spokesman Kyle Gibson said.

Smooth roads caused nearly 100 crashes in the Richmond region as of Sunday night, and Virginia state police responded to more than 350 crashes statewide as of 9 p.m.

One accident was a Henrico fire engine. Officials say firefighters were responding to an emergency on Woodman Road when the truck veered off the road and overturned.

Four firefighters fled on their own and were taken to a hospital. His wounds do not endanger life.

Gibson added that staying off the roads will help emergency crews respond to such incidents.

“When there are fewer people on the roads, first responders can clean them up faster,” Gibson said.

Meanwhile, buyers and workers of Willow Lawn were also on high alert about road conditions.

Matt Lame and Morgan Blomstrom stopped at Kroger for groceries in case the snow caught them for a few days. They said they took it slowly to the store.

“Around some twists and turns where it gets loose, you slide a little bit,” Lame said.

Daris Carter had to report to work at Sally Beauty, in the same mall.

“I noticed it only slipped once, and that was because of the traffic lights,” Carter said.

Carter encourages other drivers to be careful.

“Watch out for the other person,” he said. “That’s what I found myself doing. And going extremely slow.”

And Blomstrom echoes VDOT’s call to stay home if possible.

“It really only comes out if needed if it gets a lot colder and freezes,” Blomstrom said.

VDOT teams will continue to treat roads throughout the night. His first priority is to clear interstate and primary roads before reaching the streets of the neighborhood.