A driver has been charged with reckless driving following a collision between their tractor-trailer and a sign on an interstate in Virginia. The accident occurred yesterday on Interstate 64 West in Henrico County.
Footage of the harrowing mishap found its way to Reddit.
Despite the closure of all lanes in the area for most of the day, VDOT announced that the left travel lane reopened to motorists around 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5. Earlier, at 9:36 a.m., a tractor-trailer crash had been reported to Virginia State Police on I-64 West, near the I-295 exit in Henrico County, according to ABC affiliate 8News.
“The bed of a tractor-trailer struck an overhead sign right in that area. The bed then separated from the cab of the tractor-trailer and remained upright, up against the sign,” a Virginia State Police spokesperson told the outlet. “It was removed from the sign around 11 a.m. this morning.” There was nothing in the bed of the tractor-trailer”
According to police, the tractor-trailer was empty, and no injuries were reported.
The Driver of the Tractor-Trailer Which Hit the Interstate Sign Has Been Identified
Initially, police indicated that the crash was under investigation. However, the driver of the tractor-trailer, 62-year-old Richard D. Houston from the Lorton area of Fairfax County, has since been charged with reckless driving.
Meanwhile, denizens of the internet marveled at the sight of a tractor-trailer smashed into an interstate sign.
“I still don’t understand how a trailer gets elevated enough to ram itself square into the middle of the sign. What were they even doing????”, one Reddit user wondered.
“If you’re checking your mirrors often how does the driver not notice the difference while driving?”, another backseat driver questioned.
Meanwhile, one Reddit user noted what they saw as an uptick in this sort of thing in Virginia.
“OK. So we had the truck with the raised bed that hit the I-66 overpass earlier this year somewhere around Centreville, then we had the truck with the raised bed that similarly hit the signs on I-95 in Lorton a couple of months ago, now this, and this is all here in VA. What the heck is going on with truckers in Virginia?”, they asked.
However, one Reddit user simply pondered how much it would cost to repair the interstate sign.
“Those signs are expensive. Last I checked an interstate highway sign array (overhead support and two signs as seen in the crash) can cost $2M USD,” they wrote.