[Scan-DC] Serious crash Montgomery County

[Bruce Harper]

On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 10:46 PM, Ed wrote:

> What's a tractor trailer doing on the Clara Barton?

Not to cast aspersions on all truck drivers, but some of them aren't
the sharpest crayons in the box. We just had an incident in Roanoke
yesterday because a truck driver ignored the warning signs. A tanker
truck carrying 4,800 gallons of embalming fluid took a steep, winding
mountain road out of Roanoke (VA 116), lost control, and rolled over
an embankment, spilling the hazardous material and causing an
evacuation of nearby residents.

>From the Roanoke Times article:

"That section of Jae Valley Road is a notorious trouble spot for
tractor-trailers because of its mountain curves and steepness. In
2010, the Commonwealth Transportation Board voted to ban trucks longer
than 28 feet from traveling through the area after a series of wrecks,
including a farm vehicle that spilled a load of cattle, killing 59
animals.

The road is marked with signs telling truck drivers with vehicles over
28 feet not to use it to pass through the area. Trucks making
deliveries to that stretch of road are still permitted.

County spokeswoman Amy Whittaker said the driver, David H. Bennett,
61, of Conway, South Carolina, was charged with failure to obey a
highway sign and failure to maintain control. He was driving a 2001
Freightliner tractor with a tanker trailer attached, she said."

The whole story is here: http://tinyurl.com/ldoaazz

Bruce in Blacksburg