WASHINGTON COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) – A woman from Austin, Texas died due to injuries she received in a crash involving a tractor-trailer in Washington County, Virginia.
According to a release from the Virginia State Police, the crash occurred Thursday, Oct. 21 at 3:24 a.m. on Interstate 81 North. VSP reports a tractor-trailer had stopped on the right shoulder of the interstate near the 10.3 mile-marker.VSP reports the driver of the tractor-trailer, identified as Dale Allen, 64, of Covington, Kentucky, “went to sleep behind the wheel” after stopping the vehicle on the shoulder.
The release states the tractor-trailer started to slowly move back across the northbound lanes until it ran off the left side of the interstate and hit a guardrail.“The tractor-trailer came to rest across both of the northbound travel lanes,” the release states.
VSP reports a 2015 Mini Cooper was heading north in the right lane when it hit the trailer end of the tractor-trailer. The driver of the Mini Cooper was identified as Jeffie N. Barbee, 76, of Austin, Texas.Barbee was transported to the Bristol Regional Medical Center. According to VSP, Barbee succumbed to her injuries at the medical center on Friday, Oct. 22. She had been wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Allen was not injured in the crash. He has been charged with reckless driving, VSP reports.
As of Tuesday, the crash remains under investigation.