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Crash sends two to hospital, closes U.S. 1

By Uriah Kiser
Published: December 21, 2009

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WOODBRIDGE, Va. -- A crash that closed U.S. 1 in Woodbridge on Monday morning sent two people to the hospital.

The driver of a 2005 Ford Focus was traveling north on the highway at 7:48 a.m., near the intersection of Powell’s Creek Boulevard, when she lost control of the car, crossed the double yellow line, and collided with a 2004 Jeep Wrangler, said Prince William police spokeswoman Erika Hernandez.

The driver, 53-year-old Esther E. Davis of Woodbridge, was flown by helicopter to the hospital for precautionary reasons, said Hernandez.

The driver of the Jeep, a 29-year-old Woodbridge man, was taken to the hospital for injuries that did not appear to be life threatening, said Hernandez.

Davis was charged with reckless driving and was released on a summons. She is expected to appear in court on Jan. 27.

Both directions of U.S. 1 were closed for about an hour, police said.

The crash comes after a weekend of traffic accidents that kept police busy on area highways.

Between 12:01 a.m. and midnight Saturday, troopers were called to 135 traffic crashes and 395 disabled cars on Northern Virginia highways, said state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

Statewide police received 6,780 calls for service between 12:01 a.m. and midnight Saturday. Of those, 1,153 of the calls were for crashed cars, and 1,969 were for disabled cars, said Geller.

State transportation officials Monday continued to urge drivers to take it slow on highways, as plows were still working to keep highway shoulders, bridges and overpasses clear of snow and ice.

While temperatures Monday were expected to rise into the upper 30s, what snow and ice that did melt was expected to re-freeze overnight Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.