CAPE CHARLES, Va. — A truck driver for Perdue Farms has died in a crash at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Sunday morning — a crash that sent the tractor-trailer careening over the guardrails into the icy water below.
Transportation
A recent history of major crashes on the CBBT
Officials with the CBBT shared Sunday evening that the driver has been identified as 61-year-old Ronnie Andrews of Robersonville, N.C.
Perdue confirmed the news in a statement:
We are heartbroken to confirm that a Perdue driver died following an accident on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge‑Tunnel. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. He had been a valued member of our team, and his loss will be deeply felt across our organization.
We are cooperating fully with authorities as they continue their investigation.
The single-vehicle crash happened around 6:30 a.m. near the North Channel Bridge on the southbound span, just south of Fisherman Island. The tractor-trailer went over the west side of the bridge.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, CBBT officials said, adding that weather was not a factor given low winds, no rain, and "fair visibility."
“The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the CBBT are with the family, loved ones and fellow employees of Mr. Andrews during this difficult time,” said Jeff Holland, Executive Director of the CBBT.
Watch: Video shows damage to CBBT guardrail after truck crash
The bridge-tunnel facility sustained damage to a guardrail and curb in the crash. Maintenance crews with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel worked Sunday to make the repairs, which officials say will continue for several days this week.
Aerial video from Salisbury, Md. CBS affiliate station WBOC showed the truck apparently split open with its contents beginning to float in the water.
Watch: Aerial footage shores Perdue truck in water after fatal crash
The last time a tractor-trailer went over the CBBT was in June 2023, when a driver hit the curb and blew a tire before going into the water.
The driver in that instance, Christopher A. Scott, 36, of Henrico, did not survive the crash.
Prior to that, a similar crash occurred in 2020.
According to reporting from the Virginian-Pilot in April 2021, there had been 16 over-the-side crashes on the CBBT. With the 2023 incident and Sunday's, that makes 18.
Perdue Farms is a chicken, pork, and turkey processing company headquartered in Salisbury, Md., with facilities in Accomac and Parksley, Va.
Portsmouth-based Crofton Industries, which assisted with the removal of the car that drove off the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier in January 2024, recovered the vehicle and the Andrews' body Sunday evening.
