All photos © Eric Francis
QUECHEE - A collision Thursday evening between a tandem tractor trailer and a BMW just above the Quechee exit on Interstate 89 southbound killed the driver of the large truck and sent the driver of the car to the hospital.
The collision happened just a few hundred yards north of the Exit 1 off-ramp that leads from the southbound lanes of I-89 onto Route 4.
The impact caused the tandem FedEx truck to spin around facing the wrong direction and roll over onto its side with its smashed cab dangling upside down over a steep embankment next to the underpass where Costello Road travels through a set of box tunnels beneath the interstate.
The truck driver was ejected from his vehicle down the slope, and was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the 8:15 p.m. collision occurred.
Dispatchers said numerous other motorists on the interstate witnessed the vehicles swerve and collide and called the crash in to 911, prompting a response from Hartford Fire, Hartford Police, two of Hartford’s ambulances and several Vermont State Police troopers. [Ed: One witness writes in to Daybreak: “The BMW was already spun out in the middle of the interstate when the tractor trailer hit the brakes and veered left, avoiding hitting the BMW's front. Didn't see what caused the BMW to crash—just heard squealing brakes, burning rubber, and engine revving from a house onlooking the interstate, but did witness the moment the truck impacted the car as I called 911.]
The mishap left the shattered BMW up against a guardrail and tore open the side of the tractor trailer, scattering numerous packages down the embankment beside the travel lane of the interstate.
The accident forced the closure of the southbound lanes of Interstate 89 between Exit 2 in Sharon and Exit 1 in Quechee while the investigation was underway and efforts were made to remove the body and stabilize the wreck. The lanes were reopened around 4 am Friday, but the VT State Police warned motorists to drive carefully through the area.
According to WCAX, the VSP lay responsibility for the crash on the BMW driver, Gabriel Vestal of Rochester, NH. The truck driver was identified as Andrew Pott, 35, of Burke, VT. Police say they believe Vestal was under the influence at the time and he’s been cited for DUI. They list different ages for Vestal, 19 and 20. The official VSP press release isn’t yet available online; it will be added here once it is.
