Motorist killed on icy road as wrecks pile up

As the number of traffic accidents from icy roads piles up in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia, one traffic death has been reported in the wake of the snowstorm.

Donald Sells, of Pelham, Tenn., was killed Tuesday morning when he hit a patch of ice and slid off Interstate 24 in Dade County, said Georgia Department of Public Safety spokesman Gordy Wright.

"He lost control on the ice," he said.

Because Sells, 47, wasn't wearing a seat belt, he was thrown through the windshield when his pickup rolled several times, Wright said. Sells died on the way to Erlanger hospital.

No one else was in the truck or involved in the crash, Wright said.

The snowstorm that dumped 6 to 10 inches in the region has resulted in nearly 100 accidents on interstates and highways, officials say, but only 15 injuries and the Sells fatality have been reported.

Safety officials attribute the relatively small number of injuries to the fact that many drivers heeded warnings to stay off the roads.

In Southeast Tennessee, 37 accidents, six injuries, and 92 stranded vehicles were reported on state roads from Monday through Tuesday, said Mike Browning, a Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman.

"We've been fortunate; the [major] roads have been pretty clear," he said.

Since 9 p.m. Sunday, 420 traffic accidents were reported in Georgia, Wright said. There were 58 crashes and nine injuries reported in Northwest Georgia.

State troopers have been busy helping stranded drivers and dealing with jack-knifed tractor-trailers, Wright said.

The roads still aren't safe, he said.