Virginia State Police are investigating a fatal crash that occurred last night (Saturday) on the Capital Beltway (I-495) in Springfield prior to the ongoing winter storm.
Troopers responded around 8:24 p.m. after a sedan exiting from southbound I-395 to northbound I-495 “lost control” when approaching Backlick Road.
“The vehicle went off of the right side of the road, struck a jersey wall, and then struck a stopped tractor-trailer,” the VSP said this morning (Sunday) in a brief press release.
The sedan driver was taken to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Police have not yet released his identity.
The crash remains under investigation, but a VSP spokesperson says weather isn’t being examined as a potential factor in the crash, since it occurred before snow began to fall in the area.
The sedan driver is the fifth person to die in a crash in Fairfax County so far this year, following two hit-and-run crashes that killed pedestrians on Jan. 7, a fatal single-vehicle crash on Fairfax County Parkway on Jan. 10, and a crash on I-66 this past Wednesday (Jan. 21) where a driver lost control of his vehicle on a highway ramp.
As of 6 a.m. today, the VSP has responded to 177 crashes across the state since Winter Storm Fern moved into the area late last night, including 14 with injuries. That includes 22 crashes in Northern Virginia, two of which resulted in injuries.
The Northern Virginia total includes the fatal crash, which police have since determined occurred before the storm.
“Drivers should stay off the roads now through the day Sunday and into Monday morning,” VSP public relations coordinator Matthew Demlein said. “If you are on the roads, give VDOT trucks and emergency crews room to do their jobs. Also understand that storm impacts could delay emergency response to stranded motorists.”
