CNY Family Left Stranded on I-95 For 14 Hours After Ice Storm

A Central New York family on their way home from vacationing in Florida was left stranded for 14 hours on I-95 after a massive ice storm.

Kevin Zielinski was driving back to Oriskany Falls with his wife, daughter, and her boyfriend when they came to a standstill in Virginia. And they stayed that ways for 14 hours. Snow and ice turned I-95 into a parking lot for 50 miles. "It was the craziest thing I've ever seen," said Zielinski. "There were cars and tractor-trailers all over the side of the road."

Driving in snow and ice isn't anything new for anyone who lives in New York. But it's a whole different story for people living in the south and isn't used to it. "I wasn't worried about my driving," said Zielinski. "It was everyone else. People were passing at 80 miles an hour on black ice."

Luckily, Zielinski said he filled up on gas before coming to a stop. Others weren't as lucky. "We saw several cars left stranded after running out of gas."

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The family also had plenty to eat and drink, but after 14 hours you eventually need a bathroom. "People and pets were just going on the road right outside their cars," Zielinski said.

Cars finally started moving again just after 10 on Tuesday morning. "We got off the highway but there was no power.," Zielinski said. "Street lights were out and no one could get more gas."

It was hours more until the roads were completely clear. The Virginia Department of Transportation tweeted all disabled vehicles have been removed from the highway by 8:40 Tuesday night.

Looking on the bright side of things, Zielinski joked that at least it gave his family plenty of bonding time. "If you can last 14 hours trapped in a car with your wife, daughter, and her boyfriend without killing each other you can get a lot of issues worked out," Zielinski joked.