WASHINGTON - A man and his wife are thankful to be alive after snow and ice from another truck flew off and shattered their windshield while driving in Northern Virginia.
What we know:
Rusty Hoppe and his wife were driving on I-66 in Northern Virginia Monday around 2:00 p.m. Suddenly, a sheet of ice and snow flew off a truck in front of them, shattering Rusty’s windshield.
He swerved to avoid crashing. Fortunately, they weren’t hurt.
"I’m very, very thankful that we are both alive and safe, and that this is something that should have and could have easily been prevented," said Rusty.
Rusty has filed an insurance claim to fix his windshield.
He was unable to get the tag number of the driver who didn’t remove the snow and ice.
Why you should care:
Fire rescue officials say it’s even more dangerous to drive without clearing off your car after the latest winter storm — because it’s not just snow, there are chunks of ice on cars that can become flying projectiles.
What you can do:
Use a broom to clean the snow, preferably one with soft bristles.
Warm up your car first and run the defroster to loosen the ice, making it easier to remove.
And make sure you remove the ice sheets to prevent causing serious damage to other drivers.