Virginia State Police said a crash on Interstate 81 in Frederick County at around 8:17 p.m. Thursday set off a fire and oxygen tank explosion that killed two people. The wreck involved a car entering southbound traffic from the ramp, a semi, and a northbound truck carrying oxygen tanks.
The semi driver died at the scene, and the driver of the oxygen tank truck later died at the hospital. The driver of the passenger car was not injured and will face charges.
Frederick County scene
According to Virginia State Police, the car did not yield while trying to get onto Interstate 81 southbound. The semi hit the car, crossed the median, and struck the northbound truck. The impact triggered the fire and the explosion.
Photos and videos sent to 7News showed a large smoke cloud after the blast, and the explosion damaged a Frederick County sheriff's vehicle. The sequence left the only surviving driver in the crash facing charges while the two drivers in the larger vehicles died.
Interstate 81 after the blast
The crash shut down part of Interstate 81 in Frederick County after the fire and explosion. That left the highway scene as both a crash investigation and a cleanup operation, with damaged vehicles and a roadway that had to be cleared before traffic could move again.
The passenger car driver’s case now becomes the next legal step tied to the wreck, even though that driver was not hurt. The source did not say what charges will be filed, only that charges are coming.
