NEW KENT COUNTY, VA — A tractor-trailer driver was killed early Friday in a fiery crash on Interstate 64 in New Kent County, shutting down westbound lanes for hours as Labor Day weekend travel got underway. Virginia State Police said the wreck happened around 1:30 a.m. near the 220-mile marker.
Investigators said the vehicle was a commercial car hauler carrying vehicles. The driver was the only person in the tractor-trailer and died at the scene.
State police say the truck hit the median barrier before overturning
Virginia State Police said a preliminary investigation shows the westbound truck struck a concrete median barrier. The impact caused the cab to straddle the barrier, overturn and catch fire, while the trailer remained upright.
Officials have not said what caused the driver to lose control or whether any other vehicles were involved in the initial crash. The fatal wreck remains under investigation, and authorities are still working to identify the driver and notify next of kin.
Westbound I-64 stayed shut near mile marker 219.7 while crews worked
The crash triggered a large cleanup and repair operation along westbound I-64. Virginia Department of Transportation officials said all westbound lanes near mile marker 219.7 were still closed Friday morning because of damage from the fire.
A VDOT spokesperson said drivers should expect the closure to last for several more hours while repairs continued. The shutdown added to holiday traffic concerns on a heavily traveled corridor connecting central Virginia and the Richmond area.
Separate eastbound tractor-trailer crash briefly added to traffic delays
Traffic was also slowed on the opposite side of I-64 near Courthouse Road. Virginia State Police said the right lane of eastbound I-64 near mile marker 217 was closed because of a separate tractor-trailer crash.
Those eastbound lanes later reopened. The separate incident added another layer of delay for motorists already dealing with the westbound closure and heavy holiday weekend travel.
Cleanup and repair work focused on damage left by the fire
Officials said the fire left the roadway in need of significant repair. Crews were working Friday morning to clear debris and fix the damaged section of interstate before westbound traffic could resume.
Because of the scale of the repair work, transportation officials warned that the shutdown would not be quick. For drivers heading through New Kent County, the closure meant detours, longer travel times and a stop to normal flow on one of the region’s main interstates.
Investigation continues as authorities try to identify the driver
Virginia State Police said the case remains under investigation. The agency has not released the driver’s name, saying it is still trying to make a positive identification and notify family members.
WTVR said the incident was still being updated Friday, and officials asked anyone with information, photos or video to contact the newsroom. For now, investigators are focused on the cause of the crash and the sequence of events that led to the fire.
Local stories that matter, from GHS The Student.
