Crime & Safety
Dump Truck Driver Charged in Deadly I-95 Tractor-Trailer Crash
State police have charged the driver of a dump truck following the death of a tractor-trailer driver who crashed into the vehicle on I-95.

The driver of a disabled dump truck is facing charges after a deadly Friday night crash on I-95 that claimed the life of a Richmond tractor-trailer driver.
Virginia State Police responded to a report of a disabled dump truck blocking the middle northbound lane on Interstate 95 by the 149 mile marker Friday night at 10:52 p.m. Police immediately dispatched a trooper to assist the truck.
Within two minutes of the first call being received, a northbound tractor-trailer struck the dump truck. The impact of the crash caused both vehicles to overturn.
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The driver of the tractor-trailer, Anthony T. Coppedge, 59, of Richmond, died at the scene. The driver of the dump truck, Charles L. Tate, 29, of Colonial Beach, was transported to Sentara Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
Both drivers were wearing seat belts, according to police. Tate was charged with operating a truck with defective equipment since the dump truck’s power train and lights were both defective.
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The Virginia State Police Fairfax Division Crash Reconstruction Team and State Police Motor Carrier Safety Team responded to the scene to assist with the investigation. Northbound I-95 traffic was detoured off at Exit 148 onto Route 1 north. All I-95 lanes were reopened by 4:45 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8.
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