A commercial tractor-trailer lost control and crashed on Interstate 64 in Louisa County on the morning of Tuesday, November 13, at a few minutes before five in the morning. According to Virginia State Police reports and local news sources, no one was injured in the Virginia truck accident, although traffic was backed up along the main roadway for several hours during the morning commute.
The VA big-rig accident occurred near the 134-mile marker of the westbound lanes of I-64. The driver lost control of his 2013 tractor-trailer, ran off of the left side of the road, and struck a guardrail. The truck then tipped onto its side and came to a rest in the left lane of the interstate, blocking traffic.
The truck driver, 32-year-old David Laplante, was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash and did not suffer any serious injuries. Police are unsure why the driver lost control of his vehicle and ran off of the road. The truck accident is under investigation.
I-64 was closed for almost two hours as police investigators examined the crash site and as emergency crews removed the disabled truck from the scene. Traffic was backed up for four hours in the westbound lanes as police diverted traffic off of the main interstate and onto Gordonsville Exit 136.
Unfortunately, although guardrails often minimize car accidents and are able to stop smaller impacts, they are not designed to stop large tractor-trailers. This is one of many commercial truck and guardrail collision crashes that take place in Virginia each year.