Highway worker mowing grass along Route 23 killed in collision with tractor-trailer
DUFFIELD — Virginia authorities are investigating a fatal wreck involving a tractor-trailer and a mowing tractor that occurred Wednesday afternoon on U.S. Route 23 in Scott County.
The Virginia State Police confirmed that Gary P. Meade, 46, of Nickelsville, was killed in the accident, which occurred shortly after 1 p.m. at mile marker 14 in the Speers Ferry community.
The driver of the tractor-trailer rig, Charles E. Browning Jr., of Castlewood, was uninjured.
The exact cause of the wreck is still under investigation by the VSP. The Scott County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said it was reviewing the accident, and charges were pending.
Transportation officials confirmed the mowing tractor belonged to Virginia Department of Transportation contractor Double G Trucking.
Authorities said Meade was mowing grass on the right shoulder on the northbound lane of Route 23 when his tractor was struck from behind by Browning’s rig.
The impact ripped the mowing tractor in half and left its driver’s compartment sitting on top of the guardrail a short distance away. Meade was reportedly ejected from the tractor and died at the scene of the wreck.
Authorities said signs were posted to warn motorists that mowing was taking place along the rights of ways of Route 23.
The cab of the tractor-trailer also reportedly struck the guardrail approximately 40 feet up the highway, leaving its trailer blocking the right-hand lane of Route 23.
The crash caused the trailer’s fuel tank to rupture. HazMat crews from the Duffield Fire and Rescue Squad and the Gate City Fire Department were called in to contain the spill.
As a result, the northbound lane of Route 23 was closed to accommodate cleanup efforts, and traffic was rerouted onto the southbound side.
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