Tuesday’s deadly truck crash on Jae Valley Road/Route 116 marks the tenth one in that area within the year.
Franklin County resident Stefanie Mason was driving behind the truck when she noticed it was losing control.
“All of a sudden his brakes started smoking. You could see him kind of drifting into the other lane. All the tires came off the road. About that time, I called 911,” said Mason.
Della Carter and her daughter, Terrie, live near one of the curves on Route 116 and heard the crash.
“It was a big loud boom and we knew he hit the guardrail and then we could hear him just tumbling and it was terrible. When we ran over, we could only see the bed of the truck and we saw a fire,” said Della.
“I thought is he going to be ok, Is he dead,” said Terrie.
Roanoke County Police said the driver, 52-year-old Michael Thornton died at the scene.
Between August 2022 to August 2023, there have been 10 reported accidents along a half-mile stretch of Jae Valley Road.
Eight have caused property damage, one resulted in injuries, and the most recent one being Tuesday’s deadly crash.
“It just breaks your heart that many people have to go over or that much damage has to be done before something is done to the highway,” said Della.
According to VDOT, there is a tractor-trailer restriction for a 12.6-mile stretch of Route 116, but only for through traffic and trucks longer than 28 feet.
Police say Thornton was making a delivery along Jae Valley Road, not breaking the restriction.
“He wasn’t speeding, he wasn’t driving recklessly,” said Mason. “It looked like it was a brake failure.”
Roanoke County Police were out at the site of the crash Wednesday continuing their investigation.