A two-vehicle accident on I-81 in Shenandoah County proved fatal for an ejected passenger.
The incident occurred Monday, January 29, at 6 p.m. at the 289 mile marker, Virginia State Police reported. A 2015 Ford F350 experienced a driver’s side blowout, which caused the truck to run off the right side of the road, flip, and hit the guardrail.
Wilson R. Acosta Zelaya, a 21-year-old of Springfield, was in the backseat and was not wearing a seatbelt, VSP stated. He was thrown from the vehicle into roadway and was hit by a Kenworth tractor-trailer. He died at the scene, VSP reported.
The driver of the Ford, Pedro Lemus Mendoza, a 49-year-old Manassas man, sustained minor injuries and was transported to Winchester Medical Center for treatment, VSP reported. Two other adult passengers were also transported for treatment of what police describe as minor injuries. All three of them were wearing seatbelts.
Fernando Sanchez Marin, the 46-year-old San Joaquin, Mexico man who was driving the tractor-trailer, immediately stopped and remained at the scene, VSP reported.