High Winds Blast Trucks

High winds from a storm pummeling the East coast knocked several tractor trailers on their sides in Northern Maryland this morning.U.S. 15 South was closed while authorities dealt with the matter,halting traffic for several minutes.Truck drivers are routinely warned during wind storms,but this morning's toll was exceptionally heavy as winds were gusting up to 60 miles an hour.Small cars can be tossed around as well.It was the latest event in an historically harsh winter.Although there were bursts of snow in the area,the roads were only wet this morning. A motorist in a sedan narrowly escaped injury as he braked sharply when he came upon the stalled traffic,spinning onto the median,but somehow managing to recover and rejoin the queue.It may have been inattention or simply the topography of the route as it courses through the foothills of the Northern Blue Ridge,providing limited lines of sight in some stretches.