‘I hope they pull him out alive’: Eyewitness recounts chaotic Chesterfield crash that downed power lines

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va (WRIC) — “The first thing that went through my mind is ‘I hope that they pull him out alive,’” said eyewitness Breanna Glass, who was behind the truck that took down a power pole on Midlothian Turnpike this past Friday.

The crash took place just before 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, at the intersection of Midlothian Turnpike and Pocono Drive. According to police, a black truck went off the right side of the road, drove into the grass and struck a power pole.

“He slammed right into the electric pole,” Glass said. “As that happened, it, like, popped in half — and then the cords broke down, and they dragged against my car, and then they just went across the street.”

Glass said she was one of the first witnesses to get out of her car and help the man before police arrived — despite having hot cables sitting on the hood of her car.

“I was like, ‘I think I’m about to get electrocuted!’” Glass said — and while she wasn’t, it’s entirely possible she could have been. Dominion Energy strongly advises against exiting your vehicle if a live power line falls onto it.

Those same cables actually burned her vehicle, leaving it damaged in the aftermath.

As she helped the truck’s driver, Glass said he told her he “blacked out.” According to Glass, he said he was driving from New York to visit his daughter and was just ten minutes from her home at the time of the crash.

“He looked very dazed and confused,” Glass said of his state. “He had a cut above his eyes and then his arms had minor scratches. But other than that, he was walking, he was talking. He couldn’t remember what happened.”

This initial crash caused a chaotic aftermath, leading to a second crash just minutes later.

“Like, three minutes after the accident happened, the traffic was stopped on [the westbound] side — but he [another driver] went around the traffic and that’s when they got caught up.”

According to police, two vehicles were involved in this second crash. A 2017 GNS Terrain moving east on Midlothian Turnpike changed lanes to go around a stopped vehicle. The driver then hit a downed power line.

Glass said witnesses got out to help, with O’Reilly workers coming to direct traffic.

“There were a lot of nurses that were hopping out trying to help,” she said. “Everybody kind of stepped in. So it was nice to see — but very scary.”

Police told 8News that the driver of the black truck has been issued a summons for failure to maintain control. As of now, it remains unclear if the driver of the second vehicle has been charged.

Authorities are urging anyone with additional information about either crash to contact the Chesterfield Police Department.

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