POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) – Three people were killed Monday morning, and several people injured, in an accident that involved five trucks on Route 60 near Bell Road in Powhatan.
Virginia State Police continue to investigate the accident and today released the names of most all persons involved.
Police said the accident happened when a dump truck, carrying sludge and headed westbound, crossed the yellow line and hit a log truck head-on that was carrying pine logs.
The log truck overturned, ran off the roadway and caught fire. The name of that driver is still pending.
Both truck drivers died, as did the passenger in the log truck. The VSP said that the release of all the names is pending the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, who is working to positively identify the remaining victims in the log truck.
The deceased driver of the dump truck has been identified as Russell R. Abel Jr., 23, of the 7000 block of Belasco Drive, Chesterfield, Va.
After the first two trucks collided, a third truck, a 1998 Mack flatbed tractor-trailer, that was traveling eastbound and hauling lumber, struck the dump truck and also overturned.
A fourth vehicle was also carrying sludge and it ran over the dumped logs, hit the log truck and also overturned.
The fifth vehicle was also hauling lumber and it sideswiped the overturned trailer of the log truck and also ran over the logs that were in the roadway.
The injured driver of the third vehicle has been identified as Dray D. Jones, 25, of the 700 block of Stoney Point Road, Cumberland, Va. He suffered serious life-threatening injuries and was flown by med-flight to VCU Medical Center
The injured driver of the fourth vehicle has been identified as Michael W. Steis, of the 13000 block of Williams Drive, Brandywine, Md. He suffered minor injuries and was transported by ambulance to Saint Francis Hospital.
The injured driver of the fifth vehicle has been identified as James B. Dabney, 63, 300 block of Jenkins Church Road, Cumberland, Va. He suffered minor injuries and was assessed at the scene by emergency medical technicians but was not transported to the hospital.
Route 60 was closed from around 6 a.m. on 10 p.m., with eastbound traffic detoured to Rt. 627 and then to Rt. 13. Westbound traffic was detoured to Rt.684 then to Rt.629 and back to Rt. 60.
