November 14, 2011
A crash along Interstate 85 near Petersburg, Virginia, involving a tractor-trailer, a pickup truck, and a passenger bus has claimed the lives of three people. According to reports from News Channel 12, the accident occurred at about 11:30 AM.
Virginia State Police investigators say the crashes happened in a chain reaction after the pickup truck plowed into the rear of the tractor-trailer. The collision caused logs the tractor-trailer was hauling to spill down on top of the pickup–crushing the four individuals inside. Moments later, a bus carrying 49 students from North Carolina A&T State University smashed into the rear of the pickup.
Three of the four passengers in the pickup truck died, while one survived and was airlifted to a local hospital. The driver of the bus also sustained injuries that were treated at the hospital. Luckily, the students and the truck driver walked away from the crash unscathed. Officials with the state police say that they will continue to investigate the cause of the crash.
The Virginia Auto Accident Lawyers with Lowell “The Hammer” Stanley encourage drivers to to prevent accidents like this by simply following the two-second rule: Watch the car in front of you pass a landmark near the road, such as a sign. After they pass, it should take your vehicle two seconds or longer to reach the same landmark.
