Gusty winds lead to truck wreck

Published 4:35 am Friday, April 10, 2020

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Gusty spring winds caused a driver to lose control of an empty  tractor trailer Thursday afternoon, closing the road for nearly two hours.

The 18-wheeler went off the left-hand side of the road and climbed an embankment before rolling back down on its side Thursday afternoon while traveling eastbound on Route 460 in Prince Edward County, according to Farmville firefighter Dan Pempel who provided pictures from the scene.

The Prince Edward Rescue squad transported the driver of the truck to the hospital with injuries.

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Two large wreckers were used to put the truck back on its wheels and remove it from the scene.

Units responding to the scene were the Prince Edward Rescue Squad, fire department personnel from Farmville and Rice fire departments, VDOT, the Virginia State Police and the Prince Edward County Sheriff’s Office.

According to weather data, winds were gusting in excess of 30 miles per hour around the time of the incident. The area also had several power outages Thursday as a result of the strong winds.

Emergency personnel work to clear the scene of an overturn 18-wheeler Thursday afternoon on Route 460 in Farmville.