New information in tanker crash case

WSLS News Staff
Published: July 14, 2008

Updated 6:14 p.m VDOT says it will close one northbound lane of Route 220 tonight at 10:00 p.m., so repair crews can put up 600 feet of guardrail.

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New information about the deadly tanker truck crash over the weekend.

WilcoHess LLC faxed a statement to WSLS this morning.  In it, the company says one of its trucks and drivers from Raphine were involved in the tanker crash on Route 220 in Roanoke Saturday night.

Police say the truck drove through a guardrail on Route 220 northbound, just before the Franklin Road exit.  The truck went down a hill, and then a massive inferno sparked, around 10:00 p.m. Saturday night.

Officers found the truck driver’s body next to the truck.  His name has not been released.  WSLS has learned that he was relatively new to the company, but had previous truck driving experience.

10 On Your Side’s John Carlin spoke with a witness who says she was right behind the tanker when the driver lost control.  Monica and Gary Godby were in town for a car show over the weekend.

Monica says the couple was driving in the center lane of Route 220 northbound lat Saturday night, when the tanker passed them on the right.  Monica says they were driving the speed limit, which is 55 MPH in that area, and the truck went by much faster.  “He wasn’t driving like he was asleep, he was driving like he needed to make up some time.  He was going really fast,” Monica said.

Monica believes the driver realized he was going into the turn too fast, before the Franklin Road exit, and was not cut-off by another vehicle..  “He slid down that rail a good 3-5 seconds before he went over.  It was a grinding metal sound and you could see sparks when the truck was laying on it’s side,” Monica told us.

Monica says her husband Gary started to get out of their car to try to help the tanker’s driver, but the explosion happened before he could shut off their car.