Accidents

The N.C. Highway Patrol division that covers Durham received 222 calls from midnight until around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, spokeswoman Patty McQuillen said. "In a normal day, it's about 40 [calls]," she said. "[But] I haven't gotten any reports of any fatalities or serious injuries."

The Durham County Sheriff's Office had responded to 39 accidents by 2:45 p.m., according to officials. One of those accidents involved a deputy who was struck by a car on Interstate 85 while he was investigating another accident around 1:20 p.m. Deputy Joseph Cash was investigating the first accident between Red Mill and Redwood roads on southbound I-85 when two other vehicles on the freeway collided, Lt. Randy Vaughan said. One of the cars slid into Cash, who suffered minor injuries, Vaughan said. "He may have some swelling of the ankle, but he's fine," Vaughan said. "He's probably going to drive himself to the hospital. I don't think they were going that fast at the time." The Patrol is investigating the accident involving Cash, he said. Durham police reported 150 accidents between 11:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m., including a Chevrolet Avalanche that flipped over in the northbound lanes of Interstate 85 between U.S. 15-501 and Hillandale Road around 12:50 p.m., spokeswoman Kammie Michael said. Nobody was injured in that crash, she said. Officer M.L. Buchheit was involved in a minor crash in her cruiser on U.S. 15-501 and Cameron Boulevard around 1:30 p.m. And snow-induced wrecks caused huge backups on Interstate 40 in both directions.