THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 29, 1996 TAG: 9608290399
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: 25 lines
A 47-year-old Norfolk man was killed Wednesday morning when the tractor-trailer he was driving jack-knifed over an off-ramp of Interstate 664 and fell four stories onto a grassy area, state police said.
Robert E. Patrizi was headed south toward the 26th Street off-ramp, but apparently changed his mind and tried to take the 27th Street ramp about 5:40 a.m. when the accident occurred, according to state police.
Witnesses told troopers that the brakes on the truck appeared to lock when Patrizi changed his mind. The truck swerved and slammed into a high-impact barrier at the side of the off-ramp, then vaulted over the barrier.
When the truck hit the barrier, thousands of cans of beer spilled into the interstate median and down onto the grass with the truck.
Patrizi was pronounced dead at the scene. A state police spokeswoman said investigators did not know whether Patrizi was wearing a seatbelt, but may have been speeding prior to the crash.
Traffic was stalled on the interstate for about two hours.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC TRUCK FATALITY by CNB