Virginia State Police Reports 475 Weekend Crashes

VA. — As of 11 a.m. Monday, Virginia State Police had responded to 475 motor vehicle crashes, 36 of which involved injuries and two resulted in fatalities. Officials said these numbers are better than those from past winter storms.

“That’s from starting the count at 8 a.m. Saturday, so that’s now day three of this storm. That’s good; it appears people are hearing the message, staying home, as we’ve told them to do, and we want them to continue to do so through the day today so VDOT can get out and work on the secondary roads and subdivision roads,” said Virginia State Police Public Relations Coordinator Matthew Demlein.

In the Hampton Roads division, which includes Accomack County, there were 113 crashes. Nine people were injured.

Gov. Spanberger issued a state of emergency ahead of the storm on Thursday, saying, “State agencies are mobilized, and we are working closely with local governments and utility partners.” VSP told WMDT that crews had been working 12-hour shifts since Saturday morning to respond to crashes.

“That includes all supervisors and all available troopers. We’ve got folks responding to crashes left, right, and center,” Demlein said.

VSP is advising drivers to stay prepared for more winter weather. “Make sure you have supplies in your vehicle in case, unfortunately, you get into a crash, so you can stay warm. It may take some time for response, given the number of crashes and the conditions emergency crews have to deal with.”