Thousands stranded overnight on I-95 outside DC
Thousands of drivers were stranded overnight on Interstate 95 outside of Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
After 11 hours of people being stuck in their vehicles, some cars were moving on the northbound side of the highway, NBC News reporter Josh Lederman, who was stuck on the interstate with his dog, reported.
Some of the drivers turned their cars off to preserve gas while others were left without food or water overnight, Lederman added, describing the experience as "dystopian" on NBC's "Today."
"There are miles and miles of people who have been backed up all night and are still waiting in their cars."@JoshNBCNews describes his experience being stuck in his car with his dog overnight on I-95 in Virginia after a winter storm slammed the area. pic.twitter.com/dgpfAXRGuZ
- TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 4, 2022
Lederman also said that there were no signs of emergency vehicles that he could see, though it was unclear if that was because they were unable to get near his location.
The traffic nightmare began after multiple trucks crashed as a result of a major snowstorm that left the roads covered in snow and ice, NBC4 in Washington reported.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) was also among those stuck on the interstate.
"I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday. 19 hours later, I'm still not near the Capitol," he tweeted.
ABC8 reported that the traffic jam began as early at 3 p.m.
"Around the 5-hour mark, it felt like it shifted from really inconvenient to a little scary," Lederman also tweeted. "There is no way for medical or emergency personnel to reach people stuck in this."
"We are getting to people as soon as we can. We understand the severity of the situation," Virginia Department of Transportation spokesperson Kelly Hannon said, according to NBC4.
