CENTERVILLE — One person is dead after a car collided with a tractor-trailer and then hit a jersey wall and then caught fire.
At 10:58 a.m. Saturday (Aug.24), Virginia State Police were called to a multi-vehicle crash in Fairfax County. The crash occurred in the westbound lanes of Interstate 66 east of Exit 53, at Route 28.
The chain-reaction crash involved four sedans, one SUV, one pickup truck and a tractor-trailer that overturned. The impact of the crash caused one of the vehicles to crash into the Jersey wall and catch fire.
The driver of the vehicle that caught fire was flown to a hospital in Washington, DC for treatment of life-threatening injuries. The passenger in that vehicle died at the scene. State police are still working to confirm both individuals’ identities.
The Virginia State Police Fairfax County Crash Reconstruction Team is assisting with the ongoing crash investigation.
Update from Virginia State Police
The chain-reaction crash involved five sedans, one SUV, one pickup truck and a tractor-trailer that overturned.
A 2007 BMW sedan was traveling west on I-66 when it struck the vehicle in front of it. The BMW then collided with a westbound tractor-trailer.
The tractor-trailer then collided with several vehicles, to include a Toyota Rav4, before overturning in the roadway.
The Toyota Rav4 ran off the right side of I-66 and over the Jersey wall, at which point it caught fire.
- The driver of the Toyota, Joseph M. Castellano, 28, of McLean, Va., who died at the scene. His 28-year-old wife/passenger was flown to DC and is still being treated for life-threatening injuries.
- The driver of the BMW, Jonathyn R. Bland, 40, of Centerville, Va.,was transported to Reston Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. He has been charged with reckless driving.
- The driver of the tractor-trailer, Shahbaz Singh, 34, of Fairfax, Va., was transported to Reston Hospital for treatment of serious, but non-life threatening, injuries. He was charged with reckless driving. The tractor-trailer was loaded with water bottles.
