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Van passenger dies in crash in Virginia linked to slick roads, police say Van passenger dies in crash in Virginia linked to slick roads, police say
(about 1 hour later)
A man died in Fauquier County, Va., Tuesday in a traffic crash linked to slick road conditions during the winter storm, state police said. Slick road conditions contributed to a fatal wreck in Fauquier County, authorities in Virginia say, as a winter storm disrupted travel across the Washington region on Tuesday.
The death appeared to be the first in the Washington region connected to the storm. A 48-year-old man died when a van collided with a school bus on Route 55 in Fauquier just before 1 p.m., Virginia State Police said. The man was a passenger in the van.
The man was a passenger in a van that collided with a school bus on Route 55 just before 1 p.m., police said. No children were on the bus at the time. No children were on the bus at the time, police said.
The van driver was critically injured, state police said. The driver of the school bus and an adult bus passenger were also taken to a hospital. The van driver was critically injured, police said. The driver of the bus and an adult bus passenger were also taken to a hospital.
According to state police, the van was going east on Route 55 near Carrington Road when it went out of control and crossed the centerline, striking a bus that was traveling in the opposite direction. According to state police, the van was going east on Route 55 near Carrington Road when it went out of control and crossed the centerline, striking the bus, which was traveling in the opposite direction.
The van passenger was not wearing a seat belt, police said. They said he was 48 years old, but withheld his name until relatives could be notified. The van passenger was not wearing a seat belt, police said. His name was being withheld until relatives could be notified.
The van driver, a 71-year-old man, was flown to a hospital, police said. They said he was using a seat belt. The van driver was flown to a hospital, police said. They said he had been using a seat belt.
The bus driver, a 59-year old woman from Warrenton, was taken to a hospital for treatment. She wore a seat belt, the police said. The bus passenger, a 68-year-old woman was also taken to a hospital. The bus driver also wore a seat belt, police said. Another adult on the bus was not injured, they said.
Another adult on the bus was not injured, police said. In a statement, police said that “slick road conditions were factors” in the crash.
In a statement, state police said “slick road conditions were factors” in the crash, which remains under investigation. The latest from Capital Weather Gang on the storm
The winter storm led schools in Fauquier County to dismiss early on Tuesday. The county’s schools will be closed Wednesday. School closings and delays
Tuesday’s snowstorm wreaked havoc on the roads in the early afternoon. The federal government’s precautionary dismissal of workers came about an hour before the first sheets of rain from the fast-moving storm fell on the District.
The masses of motorists jumping onto main arteries and highways as the storm morphed from rain into waves of snowflakes created a mess on the roads that tied up traffic all across the D.C. area.
By 3 p.m., the Virginia Department of Transportation reported widespread traffic delays from Spotsylvania to Arlington counties. Maryland State Police said in a tweet just before 5 p.m. that authorities had received 200 calls for service in just two hours because of the storm.
The Maryland Transit Administration reported that the weather had forced LocalLink bus routes to bypass some locations.
Earlier in the day, VDOT’s Northern Virginia branch had predicted that heavy snow bands could reduce visibility to a quarter-mile in the afternoon. Drivers soon found the prediction to be spot on.
“Wow, the snow got vicious *fast*,” tweeted Kate Cox. “I got in the car at 2:30 and it was rain; left the big kid’s school at 2:45 and it was snow; got into the car again with the little kid at 3 and my car is coated with crap visibility.”
Transportation officials say motorists should be cautious Wednesday morning because of the likelihood of icy roads from freezing temperatures overnight.
“1) We’re gonna have a refreeze. Period,” Northern Virginia VDOT tweeted. “Assume that anything that’s wet is icy. 2) Pls clear the snow and ice off of ALL of your car before heading out. It’s for everyone’s safety!”
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