DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va. -- A North Carolina man faces charges in an accident involving a tractor trailer, a fire truck and a Dinwiddie Sheriff's Office vehicle on I-85.
Police have charged Lonnie Mixter of Highpoint, NC with reckless driving after his tractor trailer struck the fire truck, causing it to hit the sheriff's deputy car and split in half.
The right lane, where the accident occurred, reopened at about 8 a.m. The left lane remained closed for cleanup until nearly 3.30 p.m.
The crash
A firefighter on scene said crews first responded to an accident involving a semi-truck at about 1:30 a.m. Police say that a fire truck and a sheriff's deputy car were blocking off the right lane on I-85 by mile marker 43 when they noticed a 2013 Volvo tractor trailer approaching and saw that it was not slowing down. The tractor trailer then struck the firetruck, causing it to hit the deputy vehicle. The tractor trailer continued on, taking out more than 200 feet of guardrail before it overturned on its left side.
The impact of the hit split the fire truck.
Officials said the driver of the tractor trailer was airlifted to VCU Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The sheriff's deputy and the fireman were transported to a local hospital in stable condition.
Traffic and detours
Traffic was being routed off of the interstate at Exit 42 to McKenney Highway to bypass the crash.
Drivers can take McKenney (Route 40) west to Boydton Plank Road (Route 1) north and get back on I-85 north at mile marker 48 or mile marker 53.
