Ashley Sickels was traveling directly behind the tractor trailer when it hit the guard rail and exploded into flames. She took this photo immediately after the incident. Photo Courtesy Ashley SickelsA tractor trailer loaded with tomatoes exploded, stalling traffic on I-66 in Haymarket during the Monday morning commute; Ashley Sickels of Stephens City was driving the car immediately behind the truck when it hit the guard rail and burst into flames.
"On my way into work this morning, [at approximately 8 a.m.] I observed a tractor trailer that was all over the road, so I stayed at a safe distance behind him as I didn’t want to be involved in a collision," Sickels said. "He was swerving in and out of his lane, hitting the rumble strips on the right side of the road coming into the left lane and swerving back to the right lane."
She said the driver continued to drive erratically for 10 miles, when he eventually struck the guard rail, causing the vehicle to explode.
"The ball of fire shot into the air and the flames were everywhere (median, shoulder, and both lanes of the highway)," she said.
Upon witnessing the incident, she immediately called 911.
"I couldn’t get through them to get to the driver but a few construction workers got him out," she said.
According to state police, the driver, Jose E. Martinez, 50, of Brownsville, Texas, suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Investigators determined that fatigue was a factor in the crash; Police charged Martinez with reckless driving.
Photo Courtesy of PW Dept. of Fire & Rescue[/caption] "I stayed on scene to give the state trooper a written statement, since I was one of two people that actually witnessed it and stayed on scene."
Initially all lanes were closed to traffic; westbound lanes of I-66 were reopened at about 9 a.m.
The accident is still under investigation.
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