Home Developing: Two dead after truck strikes tree on Interstate 64 in Augusta County
Local News

Developing: Two dead after truck strikes tree on Interstate 64 in Augusta County

Crystal Graham

Virginia State Police public relations coordinator Matthew Demlein told AFP this afternoon that the truck in the crash this morning was a 2026 Freightliner TMA crash truck.

The vehicle is designed to protect construction and road maintenance workers by absorbing the impact of errant vehicles in work zones. These trucks, also known as attenuator trucks, scorpion trucks or safety trucks, feature a Truck-Mounted Attenuator, or TMA, a kinetic energy-absorbing device mounted on the rear. The TMA helps reduce the severity of collisions, protecting both the occupants of the striking vehicle and workers on the roadside, according to online descriptions of the truck.

The identity of the victims is still pending, Demlein said.

 

virginia state police file photo accident interstate
File photo courtesy Virginia State Police

Two people are dead after an accident in Augusta County on Interstate 64 this morning.

Virginia State Police is investigating the crash with two fatalities that occurred this morning at approximately 6:19 a.m. at the 89-mile-marker.

A truck, travelling eastbound, overcorrected and ran off the right side of the interstate. The truck then went through the guardrail, struck a tree and overturned on its side, according to VSP.

Both the driver and passenger in the truck died at the scene.

No names have been released. Identification is pending.

The crash remains under investigation.

 

Support AFP

Multimedia

 

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is a reporter and ad manager for Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of "Virginia Tonight," a nightly TV news show, both broadcast on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television. You can reach her at [email protected]