TikTok couple goes viral after finding a clever way to survive I-95 traffic jam
Some drivers were stranded for over 24 hours due to snowy weather and freezing
A viral TikTok video shows how a bread truck delivery driver was able to come to the much-needed assistance of dozens of unsuspecting drivers who were left stranded on I-95 in Virginia for over 24 hours due to snowy weather and freezing temperatures this week.
"This couple had not eaten a thing for 37 hours stranded on this frozen Virginia interstate so they called the bread company whose truck was just ahead of them, asking if they could have what was inside," the narrator of the video said, showing a photo of Casey Holihan and her husband, John Noe, and the Schmidt Baking Company truck.
"To their surprise, the driver of the truck was contacted and was given the go-ahead to start handing out bread to 50 hungry motorists," they added, as the video shows the driver wearing boots and gloves handing out bags of bread from the Baltimore-based company's truck.
VIRGINIA'S SNOWY I-95 TRAFFIC JAM INVITES CALL FOR BETTER PREPAREDNESS FOR THE UNEXPECTED
It is unclear how many people were fed by the gesture or how long the drivers had been stuck in the traffic clog before they were rescued.
@yahoolife Bread truck saves the day for hungry stranded motorists on #Virginia highway after #winterstorm ♬ Witty Rescue - DJ BAI
The enmeshed traffic prompted Virginia state transportation officials to close the entire interstate, including the primarily congested areas between exits 152 and 104.
Road crews used tractors to move snow away from the entrance ramp to I-95 after it was closed after a winter storm dumped a foot of snow on the area overnight on January 04, 2022 near Fredericksburg in Stafford County, Virginia. (Photo by Chip Somode ( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The incident began Monday before pouring into Tuesday evening but, despite the chaos, there were no reported deaths, injuries, or serious accidents.
A Good Samaritan on I95 with a great story as we remain stuck together. Still no sign of help though from Virginia officials. @CBSMiami @CBSNews @CBSNLive pic.twitter.com/zo7z2rclpz
— Jim DeFede (@DeFede) January 4, 2022
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., shared on Twitter that he was stuck on the interstate and that it took him 27 hours to travel the 110 miles between Richmond and Washington.
Vehicles are stuck in gridlock in the morning on the Interstate Highway I-95 near Stafford, Virginia, U.S., January 4, 2022 in this still image obtained from a social media video. Susan Phalen/via REUTERS (Susan Phalen/via REUTERS / Reuters Photos)
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Hundreds — if not thousands — of drivers were affected before their eventual help came from law enforcement vehicles, who were also impeded and delayed by the storm, and the generosity of Schmidt Baking company and its delivery truck driver.
This image provided by the Virginia department of Transportation shows a closed section of Interstate 95 near Fredericksburg, Va. Monday Jan. 3, 2022. (Virginia Department of Transportation via AP) (Virginia Department of Transportation via AP / AP Newsroom)
There have been other reports of people coming to aid of those who were stuck, including a family that handed oranges to the U.S. senator.
Governor Ralph Northam has declared a state of emergency, after initially choosing not to do so, as another winter storm is expected to hit Virginia in the coming days.
UPDATE: I've declared a state of emergency as Virginia prepares to respond to another large winter storm beginning tomorrow.
— Governor Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) January 6, 2022
These back-to-back storms will generate landmark winter weather that requires extra flexibility—particularly as many continue to deal with power outages.