(Photo: Brad Zinn/The News Leader)
Victims identified in Greenville dump truck accident
Brad Zinn, bzinn@newsleader.com 10:52 a.m. EDT July 13, 2016
GREENVILLE, VA - Two people were killed Tuesday afternoon at a worksite on U.S. 11, Virginia State Police said.
The fatalities took place while construction crews from Staunton-based B&S Contracting were performing pavement milling at the intersection of U.S. 11 and U.S. 340 in Greenville, near a Shell gas station.
Virginia State Police Sgt. Kenneth Hyden said the accident occurred at about 3:30 p.m. when a dump truck unloading asphalt was in reverse and ran over two workers, a man and a woman.
One of the victims was killed instantly, Hyden said, while the second was able to communicate for a short time. "He was giving hand gestures — thumbs up, thumbs down — to their questions" before succumbing to his injuries, he said.
Both victims were dragged.
Late Tuesday night, state police identified the victims as 38-year-old Felimon V. Aizpuro II, of Staunton, and Debbie S. Huffman, 50, of Port Republic.
The driver of the truck, a 60-year-old Staunton man, has not been charged in the incident.
A Greenville construction site became a tragic scene Monday afternoon after a fatal incident. Brad Zinn/The News Leader
Authorities at the scene had not determined if a warning whistle on the truck sounded while the vehicle was in reverse. Hyden said investigators were going to inspect the truck, and said the probe into the double fatality could take several days.
"At this time it appears to be a terrible accident," he said.
The bodies were removed from underneath the dump truck at about 5 p.m. Hyden said they were taken to Augusta Health in Fishersville and will arrive at the medical examiner's office in Roanoke by Wednesday morning for autopsy.
Sgt. Kenneth Hyden of the Virginia State Police speaks with a person wearing a BSC construction vest at a paving job where two people were killed Tuesday on U.S. 11 in Greenville. (Photo: Brad Zinn/The News Leader)
About 50 workers were at the worksite when the accident took place.
"They all know one another," Hyden said. "Everybody's traumatized by it. Some of them can barely speak."
Hyden said the unidentified driver was distraught at the scene and taken to Augusta Health for observation. Charges are pending the investigation, according to Hyden.
The scene where two employees were killed by a dump truck along U.S. 11 in Greenville Tuesday, July 12, 2016. (Photo: Brad Zinn/The News Leader)
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Augusta County: Two killed in dump truck accident
Published Tuesday, Jul. 12, 2016, 10:50 pm
Augusta County: Two killed in dump truck accident
Two workers with a highway maintenance crew were struck and killed by a dump truck while working on Route 11 in Augusta County on Tuesday.
The two workers, Felimon V. Aizpuro II, 38, of Staunton, Va., and Debbie S. Huffman, 50, of Port Republic, Va., both died at the scene, according to the Virginia State Police.
The accident was reported at 3;33 p.m. Tuesday. The accident scene was on Route 11 approximately 100 feet north of Route 340 north of Greenville.
A highway work zone was operating in the left southbound lane of Route 11 Tuesday afternoon. As a dump truck began backing up to drop its load of asphalt, two workers with the highway maintenance crew were struck.
The driver of the truck, a 60-year-old Staunton, Va., man, has not been charged in the incident.
The Virginia State Police Appomattox Division Crash Reconstruction Team and Virginia State Police Motor Carrier Safety Team also responded to the scene to assist with the crash investigation, which remains ongoing at this time.
BACKOVER DEATHS ARE FREQUENTLY OCCURRING. HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID THEM:
VEHICLE & EQUIPMENT OPERATION : BACKING EQUIPMENT AND SNOWPLOWS
Vehicle backing accidents can happen at any time of the year, but when winter comes and there is snow to be cleared, this type of incident becomes even more likely. It seems like every year a backing accident involving a motorist and county equipment occurs in Michigan, despite all the efforts of the County Road Commissions to avoid these problems. However, you may also be interested to know that there are a number of backing accidents that occur in Road Commission garages and even in Road Commission yards. Often times, employees are injured or property is damaged.
Backing accidents are due to a great many factors, including poor visibility, blind spots, difficult terrain, and driver fatigue or inattentiveness. But, let’s face it, the motoring public generally doesn’t focus much attention on avoiding snowplows or other vehicles/equipment with which they share the road. So it is your responsibility as a Road Commission employee to take extra care while out on the road.
That makes avoiding an accident your responsibility, a responsibility that all county employees have to protect the public, but also a responsibility mandated by law. There may be serious legal repercussions if you get into a vehicle backing accident, so even though you as an operator may be doing everything else correctly, you should still remember that you are the one driving the 160,000-pound truck. Let’s not dwell on the negative, however. The point of our discussion today is to make sure that everyone on the road gets home safely.
Here are some strategies that veteran drivers use to avoid vehicle backing accidents. First of all, try to make a mental note of all the vehicles around you as you drive. If you see a motorist stop or turn off, then you can cross them off your list; but if not, then that vehicle is likely hiding somewhere in your blind spots or dead zone. Use curves in the road to help you. When entering an intersection, come to a stop at an angle if it’s safe to do so. If it’s dark out, use reflected light from snow banks or trees as additional queues that a vehicle is behind you. Activate your lights and beacons so that you are more visible. Ensure that back up alarms are functioning properly. Keep looking in your mirrors. Every few seconds you should be checking your mirrors. Remember to look and lean to see as much in your mirrors as possible. Stop and let the motorist pass before you begin clearing an intersection, but be aware that some motorists may get confused in these situations and may not react like you think they should. Back slowly at first, again, keeping an eye out for anything behind you. Finally, if you are backing and you feel an unusual amount of resistance, or the back end of the truck begins to rise, stop immediately! Check traffic so that you’re not going to be struck by a vehicle yourself, and get out and look.
The most important thing is to be ready! If you operate a snowplow or any other heavy equipment on or near the public right of way, it’s not a matter of if a motorist will come too close to you, it’s a matter of when. So stay alert and be ready. Most of all, remember to drive safely.