Icy Winter Wallop Blamed for 18 Deaths
Feb. 13, 2014— -- The storm that held the South and the Northeast in its icy grip has been blamed for 18 deaths and has left as many as 800,000 homes and businesses without power.
The combination of snow, ice and frigid temperatures was particularly deadly on roadways.
Among the fatalities was a pregnant woman who was struck and killed by a snowplow in New York City, which had been slammed with 11 inches of snow. Her baby was delivered in critical condition via cesarean section.
A truck driver in Ashburn, Va., was standing behind his snow plow truck when he was hit by a dump truck.
Dallas firefighter William Scott Tanksley, 40, was killed Monday night while helping the passengers of a car crash on a highway overpass when another driver slid out of control on the icy highway. The car knocked Tanksley from the overpass onto Interstate 20 below.
Another three people were killed in Texas on Tuesday when an ambulance lost control and hurtled off a slippery highway. The vehicle caught fire while transporting 45-year-old Jose Cruz Gurrola. Driver Joann Adamiak Moore, 45, died in the crash along with Gurrola and his brother, Anacleto Gonzalez Gurrola, 43, who was accompanying him.
The storm has knocked out power to nearly 800,000 homes and businesses across the South, leaving people shivering in their homes.
For many flying is out the question as thousands of flights were canceled because of the storm, according to FlightAware.com.
Over 11 inches of snow was reported around Washington, D.C. and snowfall totals in western Virginia topped 10 inches. Up to six inches fell in Delaware and southern New Jersey before switching over to light rain.
Winter storm watches, warnings or advisories remain in effect for 19 states, from Alabama to Maine.
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The precipitation is expected to until tonight or early Friday.
ABC News' Samantha Wnek and Matt Hosford and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
