Wintry mix causes numerous vehicle collisions; two-hour delay at MCPS schools

Before and after school child care programs will occur as scheduled

December 11, 2023 2:42 p.m.

This article, originally published Dec. 11 at 9:42 a.m. was updated Dec. 11 at 2:35 p.m. to add information about vehicle collisions.

Early Monday morning Montgomery County Public Schools alerted the school community that all schools were in a code yellow, meaning schools will open two hours later.

The delay stems from a wintry mix that swept over the Washington, D.C., region early Monday morning causing slick roadways.

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In addition to schools, all operations such as bus transportation have a start delayed by two hours from regular scheduling.

According to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, full-day kindergarten will still follow the regular schedule, and before and after school childcare programs will occur as scheduled.

From the two-hour delay some programs have been cancelled such as morning head start and pre-K as well as field trips and other activities that begin at 10:30 a.m. or earlier.

Monday morning’s inclement weather created slippery road conditions, causing more than 20 vehicle collisions across the county, according to a tally of collisions reported on Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer’s X account. 

Piringer said all the collisions were non-fatal, but a handful resulted in entrapments and serious injuries for the vehicle occupants. Collisions primarily occurred along the Beltway and I-270, he said, and most were single-vehicle collisions.

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There was a 10-car collision around 9 a.m. that blocked all express lanes northbound on I-270 between Shady Grove and I-370, according to an X post from MCFRS public information officer David Pazos. The collision involved an extrication from a vechile.

At about 5 a.m. a collision with a tractor-trailer and a sedan on the Beltway between Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road occurred. Around this time, the heavy rains transitioned into snow, Piringer said. 

The collision resulted in two people needing extrication from their vehicle, according to Piringer’s post on X. In total, three people required medical attention–two being categorized as priority two traumas. 

According to the Maryland Medical Protocols for Emergency Medical Services, priority two is assigned to injuries or illnesses of a less serious condition that are potentially life-threatening but do “not immediately endanger the patient’s life.” 

There was also a school bus collision on New Hampshire Avenue and Fox Street. According to Piringer’s post, MCFRS transported one adult patient to the hospital. The patient was assigned priority three, meaning they required medical attention but not on an emergency basis, according to the Medical Protocols guide. 

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MCPD did not immediately respond to inquiries about the school bus collision. 

From the slew of collisions and slick roadways on Monday lanes on the I-270 and Beltway were blocked off for emergency first responders and traffic delays mounted. As always, drivers are urged to slow down and move over as roadside emergency crews work along highways and roads responding to collisions and downed powerlines and trees. 

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