AUGUSTA COUNTY, VA — A Virginia TV station citing state police reported that a driver of a tractor-trailer was flown to a hospital after the truck overturned and caught fire on Interstate 81.
The wreck happened Saturday around 4:30 p.m. on near mile marker 228 in Augusta County.
First responders arrived to find the cab of the trailer had fallen off the road and into the Middle River and the trailer had ignited, Augusta County Fire-EMS said.
Fire, EMS and law enforcement agencies worked to extinguish the fire, and bystanders jumped into the water to help the driver. The driver’s condition has not been released.
A hazmat team was brought in to stop the flow of diesel fuel into the river. It’s unclear how much fuel may have entered the water.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
