Driver of tractor-trailer that went off side of Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel likely found in truck, U.S. Coast Guard says

Stacy Parker, The Virginian-Pilot
Updated ·2 min read
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VIRGINIA BEACH — The driver of a tractor-trailer that went overboard Thursday afternoon on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel has likely been located, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

“We do believe the individual is in the tractor-trailer,” Capt. Jennifer Stockwell said.

Divers who have been conducting search operations saw a deceased person in the vehicle, Stockwell said around 12:30 p.m. Friday.

“We haven’t formally closed the search,” she said. “We’re waiting for identification and to confirm the individual is who we believe was in the truck.”

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The vehicle was traveling northbound from Virginia Beach toward the Eastern Shore when it fell off the side of the bridge around 1:50 p.m., about a mile from Chic’s Beach, according to officials.

The Coast Guard and other authorities determined only one person, a male, was in the vehicle after reviewing tollbooth footage. The company that the driver works for also told authorities only one person was in the truck, Stockwell said. She didn’t know the name of the company but said the driver was hauling landscaping supplies.

A crane barge will be used to recover the tractor-trailer from the water, which will likely happen Friday afternoon, Stockwell said.

Recovery efforts have been challenging because the tractor-trailer is submerged in the water between the northbound and southbound bridge sections, “making it a more complicated recovery between the trestles,” she said.

The truck will first need to be moved to the west side of the southbound bridge in order for the crane barge to lift it out of the water, she said.

Divers will rig up the vehicle with lifting straps, and once it has been recovered, it will be transported on the barge to shore for analysis, Stockwell said.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Authority Police is handling the investigation.

TV media reports of a good Samaritan diving in the water to help Thursday were false, according to Virginia Beach police and the Coast Guard.

Stockwell said more than a dozen search and rescue organizations deployed Thursday to try to rescue the driver.

“I appreciate all the support we had in the initial hours of the search,” she said.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com