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Richmond woman killed, semi driver charged in multi-vehicle wreck on I-64 in New Kent

Posted at 12:15 PM, Mar 11, 2015
and last updated 2015-03-11 18:17:38-04

NEW KENT COUNTY, Va. -- Virginia State Police have released the name of the woman killed in a fatal, multi-vehicle, accident along Interstate 64 east in New Kent County Wednesday morning.

"The crash involved two tractor-trailers and three passenger vehicles. Eastbound traffic had slowed due to a disabled vehicle at the 214 mile marker," Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said via email. "As an eastbound tractor-trailer approached the slowed traffic, it struck a pickup truck in the right lane causing it to spin around and strike a van. The pickup ran off the right side of the shoulder as the van collided with the tractor-trailer. The tractor-trailer then struck a Chevrolet work truck. The tractor-trailer then struck a Pontiac pushing it into a slowed tractor-trailer up ahead.

State police said 43-year-old Jennifer P. Wilson, of Richmond, died at the scene.

The driver of the work truck was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries. No one else was injured.

Officials said the driver of the semi, 39-year-old, Ira Vestal, of Conover, N.C., was charged with reckless driving.

The accident happened at about 9:22 a.m. at mile marker 211 near the Talleysville/Rt. 106 exit. The interstate reopened around 4:15 p.m.

"The lanes will remain closed during crash cleanup," VDOT advised.

VDOT said traffic is being diverted off at Exit 205 onto US-60 East, then onto VA-106 and back onto I-64 East at Exit 211.

VDOT also offered a detour for drivers:

Take Interstate 64 east Exit 205 at Bottoms Bridge/Rt. 33 west to Route 60 east to Route 106/Emmaus Church Road back to Interstate 64 east.

Additionally, drivers can expect delays because of congestion on I-64 east just before the Bottoms Bridge. Traffic was backed up 4 miles as of 1:38 p.m.

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