A two-vehicle crash caused by a truck tire blowout has claimed the life of an 11-year-old girl, Virginia State Police said.
The Progress-Index reports that the wreck happened shortly before 4:30 p.m. Sunday on U.S. Route 301, also known as Blue Star Highway, that runs adjacent to Interstate 95, state police Sgt. Michelle Anaya said.
Police said a 2009 International 4300LP converted ambulance truck was traveling southbound on I-95 when a rear tire blew. The force of the blowout caused the truck to go out of control and run off I-95 onto Route 301, where it struck a 2021 Kia Forte that was heading northbound. The vehicle was hit on its passenger side by the truck and pushed into a ditch, Anaya said.
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Three people inside the Kia — 44-year-old Henry James Hall Jr., an 11-year-old girl and another juvenile — were taken to Bon Secours Southside Medical Center in Petersburg. The 11-year-old died of her injuries.
The two people inside the truck were identified as the driver, Jimmie Dawson, 58, and his passenger, Robert Batts, 45. Both are from North Carolina and were not reported injured.
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Anaya said neither speed nor alcohol were factors in the crash, and no charges are pending.
