HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- A single-vehicle wreck left a 24-year-old man dead after his truck ran off I-295 northbound just before the Route 301 exit in Hanover County Monday afternoon.
Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Steve Vick wrote that troopers were called to the scene to I-295 at the 41mm at 12:53 p.m.
Officials said Christopher R. Eastland of Mechanicsville died at the scene. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
CBS 6 reporter Joe St. George said that the victim was partially ejected after his Ford pickup truck ran off the interstate and landed in a ditch.
However, the accident went unnoticed until a driver pulled off the interstate to reprogram their GPS. That's when the vehicle was first spotted.
However, officials do not think that the truck had been there for long since the car's engine was still warm.
"There are no witnesses at this time we are still trying to pull all the pieces together," Vick said.
VDOT reported that the wreck had closed the right shoulder of the interstate as of 1:50 p.m.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The accident stirs emotions for one local man who contacted CBS 6.
The man said that he was involved in a similar accident 11 years ago in the same spot on I-295.
The man said he hydroplaned across three lanes, flipped his truck and landed down the embankment for nearly two hours. However, he was able to call for help from his cell phone and get out of his truck.
As a result, he avoids the area -- especially on rainy days.
That man believes there is a drainage problem in the area and he wants VDOT to take action to fix the problem.
