Snow Storm Causes More Than 1,000 Crashes In North Carolina Just On Wednesday Alone

Winter storms swept through much of the South yesterday, and while the amount of snow dropped on North Carolina likely wouldn't have bothered areas of the U.S. that regularly see more snow, it was enough to cause more than 1,000 crashes throughout the state. One particularly bad wreck even caused a series of other collisions behind it, resulting in at least 53 cars being involved in "dozens of crashes," WRAL reports. While car wrecks are pretty common in the U.S., that figure is far higher than you'd expect on any given day. For comparison, the state reportedly only saw 185 wrecks the day before. 

The 53-car pileup took place in Orange County on I-40 near the I-85 connector. A crash at 3:02 P.M. close to Exit 261 was followed 22 minutes later by another crash in the same location. According to local authorities, after the second wreck took place, a chain reaction of further collisions occurred. To make matters worse, two tractor-trailers jack-knifed on I-85 close to the same connector, backing up traffic even further. Then two other tractor-trailers crashed. 

"I'm thankful to not be out there," Orange County resident Melissa Perry told WRAL. "My daughter was playing in the snow earlier and heard three really loud booms."

Sadly, while most injuries from the pileup appear to be relatively minor, 10 people had to be taken to a warming center, six were taken to the hospital for treatment, and one victim has died. William Crowell Kellam allegedly crashed into 78-year-old Jerolyn Day Wilson's car, killing him. Kellam has since been charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and exceeding safe speed for conditions. I-40 appears to have since reopened, but only after being closed for hours as emergency responders worked to rescue people and clear the crashed cars out of the road.

Not all collisions in the state were contained to the roads, either. One driver reportedly lost control of their Ford F-150 and crashed into a house in Johnson County. No one was inside the house at the time of the crash, but the driver was taken to the hospital for treatment, and the structural damage to the house was significant enough for the county inspector to declare it unsafe. Thankfully, though, that appears to be the only house that was hit as a result of these storms.

There were simply too many crashes to cover every single one, but Raleigh also saw a two-car crash that hospitalized both drivers with serious injuries after one of the drivers crossed into the oncoming lane. Additionally, an out-of-control driver hit Person County Sheriff Jason Wilborn, likely totaling their car, but Sheriff Wilborn was reportedly able to return to work without issue. Other notable crashes took place on I-40 in Cary, Dimmocks Mill Road in Orange County, along U.S. 64 near Zebulon, I-85 near Durham, I-85 in Granville County and I-95 near Benson. Thankfully, it doesn't appear that anyone else was seriously injured in any of those wrecks.

With luck, insurance should cover most of these losses, but it's a great reminder that unless you absolutely need to go out while there's snow on the ground, just stay home. Especially if you live in the South where states don't have the salt trucks and snow plows needed to keep the roads clear: the fact that there's only a couple inches of accumulated snow is no guarantee the roads aren't iced over. Driving in snow can certainly be fun if you have the right tires, but it really isn't worth the risk of being hit by other drivers.