On Thursday, truck driver Joseph Chen was killed when his tractor-trailer plunged off the side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia. Initial reports indicated that strong winds caused the crash, but police now say “driver error” was the primary factor.
At approximately 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, officials shut down the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel for all large profile tractor trailers due to dangerous 60+ mph winds. They decided to reopen the bridge for truck traffic around 12:00 p.m.
Just 30 minutes later, at 12:30 p.m., the truck driven by Joseph Chen broke through a guardrail and fell into the bay. Chen was picked up by a Navy helicopter, but died on his way to the hospital. Winds up to 45 mph were recorded in the area at the time of the accident.
Chen’s truck was loaded with approximately 4,000 to 6,000 pounds of seafood, an extremely light load that made it easier for winds to push around.
After the accident, initial reports indicated that Chen’s light load and the bridge’s windy conditions caused the truck to lose control and plunge into the bay, but a new report by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel police has shifted the blame from wind to “driver error.”
Police Chief Edward Spencer, who heads the CBBT’s police unit, reported that Chen drove off the bridge while trying to pass another vehicle.
According to police, Chen was traveling in the right lane with another tractor trailer in front of him and a passenger car to his left.
“He went to pass the tractor-trailer,” Spencer said. “He cut over in front of passenger car, and once he got over in the left lane, he ran up on curb and through the guard rail.”
Although CBBT police have placed the blame on the driver, Spencer said that winds may have also played a factor in the accident.
Chen was 47-years-old and had decades of experience as a professional truck driver. A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for Chen’s funeral expenses.