| At approximately 9:16 PM, the Monelison Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched alongside Amherst Fire and EMS and Big Island Fire Department for a logging truck rollover near the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance on Elon Road. Responding units included Squad 21, Engine 23, Chief 2, and Brush 21.
Upon arrival, the first firefighter reported that the truck was on its side, leaking diesel fuel, and that logs were scattered across the roadway. The driver was not immediately located. Big Island Fire was assigned to divert traffic at the intersection of Elon Road and the Route 501 bridge.
When Brush 21 arrived, a DJI Mavic 3T drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera was deployed to assist in the search. The missing driver was located approximately a quarter-mile from the crash site in the woods. Personnel from the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office, along with rescue and fire crews, made contact with the driver, who was brought to a waiting ambulance and transported to a hospital. The driver’s condition remains unknown.
The Virginia State Police (VSP) are investigating the cause of the accident. VDOT arrived on scene to manage cleanup operations. Elon Road has since been reopened to traffic. |
