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A series of chain-reaction crashes Tuesday on southbound Interstate 95 snarled afternoon traffic and sent at least 15 people to Fredericksburg-area hospitals.

A total of five accidents occurred on a three-mile stretch of I–95 in Stafford County, Stafford Fire Chief Joseph Cardello said. The crashes involved 10 tractor–trailers and 25 passenger vehicles, but none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening, he said.

The initial crash happened around noon about two miles north of the Courthouse Road exit. The backups from that accident led to more crashes and additional lane closures between exit 140 and the interchange three miles north at State Route 610.

All lanes of southbound I–95 were closed at mile marker 140, and the Virginia Department of Transportation warned that southbound I–95 traffic faced significant delays.

Traffic was detoured at the Garrisonville exit, but backups mounted on the interstate into the early evening, stretching at one point to at least 10 miles, according to VDOT.

Other roads in the area became backed up by detoured traffic, causing Stafford schools to send out alerts to parents that buses might be late in the afternoon.