BLAND, Va. — Click here for video
Rain may have played a role Thursday in the tractor-trailer crash that took the life of an Ohio man.
The crash was reported at 3:15 p.m. in the northbound lanes of Interstate 77 approximately five miles from Bland, Va., said Sgt. Scott Todd of the Virginia State Police. A crew with the Virginia Department of Transportation posted warning signs as traffic flow was reduced to one lane.
“The vehicle ran off the right side of the road, jackknifed, and struck the rock embankment,” Todd said as state troopers searched the wreckage for the driver’s papers and other items. “The cab disintegrated in the accident.”
Troopers initially withheld the driver’s name until his next of kin had been notified, but he was later identified as Paul G. Defriece, 40, of Ohio. The Ohio Highway Patrol was notified the driver’s family.
