Driver struck and killed while calling for help after Beach wreck

A fatal crash and numerous other accidents were being blamed on icy roads this morning. 

A vehicle driven by a man headed east on Ferrell Parkway just after 5 a.m. lost control , went off the road and rolled several time, said Margie Long, police spokeswoman. The man was able to get out of the car and call 911.

A few moments later, a commercial vehicle approaching the scene lost control and hit the car that had rolled over and also hit the man, Long said. The man, described as being in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was being wittheld until his relatives could be notified. 

Rain that began falling on the city after 4 a.m. started to freeze and trucks were being sent to sand down bridges, dispatchers said.

Icy patches along U.S. 17 between Chesapeake and North Carolina caused several cars there to go into ditches, Chesapeake dispatchers confirmed.

It wasn’t clear if anyone was injured.

There were 25 car wrecks reported this morning from Chowan to Camden counties, including one involving at least 10 cars outside of Hertford, said Trooper E. Johnson of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

Icy road conditions were the primary cause and most of the wrecks occurred between 6 and 7 a.m., Johnson said. Most were limited to property damage only and there were no serious injuries reported this morning.

The Highway Patrol office in Currituck has also had reports of multiple wrecks throughout its coverage area in Currituck and Dare counties. No specific information was available this morning. 

The National Weather Service is calling for sprinkles that could turn into steady rain after 8 a.m., according to the weather service’s Web site. The high is expected to be near 50 degrees.

Temperatures tonight could dip to 37 degrees with a continued chance of rain.