18 crashes in Northern Nevada thanks to winter storm

Troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol responded to and investigated eighteen motor vehicle crashes in northern Nevada between midnight and 10 a.m. this morning. Ten of the crashes took place in the greater Reno-Sparks area with the remaining eight taking place on highways in the Carson, Douglas, Churchill and Lyon county areas. Only a handful of accidents involved injuries and those were reported to be only claimed or minor in nature.

One of the accidents this morning happened around 8:45 am on Interstate 80 near the Virginia Street interchange involving a sedan that rolled over onto its roof after the driver lost control of his vehicle. The four occupants inside the vehicle, including a 13-month-old toddler, escaped injury as all occupants were properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint seat.

Several other calls this morning were to assist motorists who had slid off the roadway or spun-out after traveling too fast on an icy section of highway. Troopers also assisted many other motorists with mechanical-related breakdowns this morning throughout the region as well.

As a safety reminder to all motorists when driving conditions are more challenging due to wet, icy, or snow covered roadways; please increase your following distance with other vehicles, reduce the speed of your vehicle to minimize an unplanned event, and plan on allowing more time to get to your destination. With most of the highway surfaces thawing out late this morning, there is a very likely chance to experience icy conditions during the late afternoon and evening commutes as temperatures decrease below the freezing mark.