Pr. William Parkway, I-70 Reopened

WASHINGTON - Icy roads and foggy conditions contributed to a number of early morning traffic accidents, killing one and snarling traffic for many.

A stretch of the heavily-traveled Prince William Parkway between Wellington and Balls Ford Roads opened in time for the bulk of the afternoon rush hour after closing around 7 a.m. when a propane truck collided with a car at the intersection of Sudley Manor Drive and Bethlehem Road near Manassas.

The truck, which sprung a propane leak, was carrying 2,300 gallons of the fuel. The dangerous nature of the situation forced the evacuations of several businesses and at least four homes in the area.

In Frederick County, Maryland, westbound lanes of I-70 near Mount Airy also opened in the afternoon following a morning crash that injured a tractor-trailer driver.

State police say the truck struck two vehicles around 4:40 a.m. and overturned, spilling its load of cooking oil. The wreckage was then struck by a box truck driver who was thrown from his vehicle and seriously hurt.

Monday morning's icy conditions in Maryland prompted police and state highway officials to ask drivers to delay traveling.

"We can't be deceived by the sun shining right now because pavement temperatures are hovering at the freezing mark," Lora Rakowski, spokeswoman for Maryland Highway Administration, told WTOP just before 9 a.m.

In Frederick County, Maryland State Police say 31-year-old Alex Keepers of Frederick died when he lost control of his Jeep Cherokee on the U.S. 15 bridge over the Potomac River near Point of Rocks at about 4:30 a.m.

Police say Keepers, a Loudoun County, Va., firefighter, was southbound when his SUV slid into the northbound lanes and was struck by a tractor-trailer.

In Montgomery County, investigators believe slick road conditions contributed to a Germantown crash that left a young woman hospitalized.

Police are looking for anyone who witnessed a single-vehicle crash on Route 27/Ridge Road near Brink Road. Police say a 19-year-old Damascus woman is in critical condition at Suburban Hospital after the 2004 Chevrolet Trail Blazer she was driving struck a tree around 7 a.m.

Anyone who saw the collision is asked to contact the Montgomery County Police Collision Reconstruction Unit at 301-840-2435.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(Copyright 2007 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)