Hundreds of drivers are finally free after being stranded overnight on I-95 in Virginia due to a severe snowstorm.
The storm hit Virginia and Maryland on Monday, coating the two states with over one foot of snow. It also left more than 30,000 people without power and caused a major traffic debacle.
That morning, a truck skid on Interstate 95, and, from there, numerous cars lost control. NBC reported that drivers were stranded along a 50-mile section overnight near Fredericksburg in below-freezing temperatures for over 24 hours until traffic finally cleared up.
While drivers waited for traffic to clear, they had no access to necessities such as fuel, food, and water.
Senator Tim Kaine was one of those drivers trapped on Interstate 95 for hours. He tweeted about his experience on Tuesday saying,
“I started my normal two-hour drive to D.C. at 1 pm yesterday. 19 hours later, I’m still not near the Capitol. My office is in touch with @VaDOT to see how we can help other Virginians in this situation. Please stay safe, everyone.”
I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday. 19 hours later, I’m still not near the Capitol. My office is in touch with @VaDOT to see how we can help other Virginians in this situation. Please stay safe everyone. pic.twitter.com/Sz1b1hZJZ5
— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) January 4, 2022
An NBC News White House reporter, Josh Lederman, was also trapped on Interstate 95. He also tweeted about the snowy chaos in real-time saying, “I try not to tweet about daily inconveniences, but this experience has been insane. For the last 7+ hours, I’ve been stuck in my car, not moving, in a total shutdown of I-95 northbound about 30 miles south of D.C.”
I try not to tweet about daily inconveniences, but this experience has been insane.
For the last 7+ hours, I've been stuck in my car, not moving, in a total shutdown of I-95 northbound about 30 miles south of DC. (1)
— Josh Lederman (@JoshNBCNews) January 4, 2022
Hours later, Kaine made a quick update as he headed back onto the road.
“Ok after 27 hours on the road from Richmond to D.C., very happy to be back in the Capitol and working on voting rights legislation this afternoon,” he said.
Ok after 27 hours on the road from Richmond to DC, very happy to be back in the Capitol and working on voting rights legislation this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/6XE45ZQUvq
— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) January 4, 2022
As of Tuesday evening, no one is left stranded on Interstate 95. The Virginia Department of Transportation Fredericksburg confirmed the information in a tweet.
“There are no people stranded still on I-95. Less than 20 vehicles left to be removed from the interstate before plow trains will come through to remove snow and ice from the travel lanes.”
UPDATE: There are no people stranded still on I-95. Less than 20 vehicles left to be removed from the interstate before plow trains will come through to remove snow and ice from the travel lanes.
— VDOT Fredericksburg (@VaDOTFRED) January 4, 2022
Luckily, there are no reports of injuries or deaths among the drivers stuck along the highway.
