Dozens of car accidents have been reported in Reno thanks to a hefty snowfall during the morning commute Thursday.
On Interstate 80, more than 20 vehicles slid off the road, which caused a brief closure of both the east and westbound sides of the highway between Sparks and Fernley.
While responding to the first few accidents on that stretch of roadway, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Duncan Dauber's own patrol car was struck from behind. He says speed was to blame and will remain his top concern for the rest of this storm.
"There is no reason that anybody should be out here on ice and snow-covered roads doing, you know, 50, 60, 70 miles per hour because they have a four-wheel drive vehicle, which was the case this morning, unfortunately," Dauber says. "Me, myself, when I'm driving on roads like this, I'm down at around 30 miles an hour."
No injuries were reported from the numerous car accidents on I-80 Thursday morning, which Dauber says was quite lucky given the circumstances.
"A car is easy to drive straight," Dauber explains. "It's when you have to make some kind of avoidance move or change a lane and hit slush. Once a vehicle begins to slide, you've completely lost control."