Driver killed as pickup fishtails With Loose Trailer

Driver killed as pickup fishtails

By Susan Robertson The Virginia Gazette
June 28, 2008
JAMES CITY - A single-vehicle crash on Interstate 64 Friday morning killed one man and created a domino effect of traffic jams on county roads.

The accident occurred at 8:16 a.m. just east of the Norge-Croaker interchange. A 1997 Ford F-150 pickup truck towing a small camper lost control and ran off the road. It’s unclear why. “The camper started to fishtail,” said Sgt. Michelle Cotten, spokesman for the State Police. “It hit a ditch and went sideways, causing the trailer to flip.” When the camper began to roll, it pulled the truck over with it.

The driver was ejected and his truck landed on top of him.
A passenger was thrown to the back of the truck and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Neither the passenger nor driver was wearing a seatbelt. Cotten said the driver was a man from Baltimore.

She added that it appeared neither speed nor alcohol was a factor. I-64 was backed up for miles for several hours. When the camper flipped it burst apart, spilling furniture and other items onto the highway. By 10:30 a.m., standstill traffic stretched from the crash site to the New Kent line. Cars and trucks took every opportunity to get out of the crunch.

Many drivers used the Norge exit as an escape and later the Toano exit near Anderson’s Corner. That created backups on Richmond Road, Croaker Road and Rochambeau Drive. The stream of traffic filling local roads created problems for James City Police.

Officer Mike Spearman said police responded to several subsequent accidents during the morning until about 1 p.m. One of those was a fender-bender with no injuries near the I-64 interchange at Croaker Road. State Police, who normally handle accidents on county roads, asked James City Police to work the crash scene. Spearman said most of the county accidents Friday morning weren’t serious.