THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 14, 1996 TAG: 9606140631
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Metro Briefs
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 32 lines
A Portsmouth man was fatally injured Wednesday night in a head-on collision with a meat truck on U.S. Route 17, Bridge Road.
The truck driver was also injured, and traffic was tied up for nearly seven hours while crews worked during a severe rain and windstorm to clear the scene.
The accident happened about 8:10 p.m. just south of the Mills E. Godwin Jr. Bridge across the Nansemond River.
Andrew L. McGinnis, 23, of the 1500 block of City Park Ave., Portsmouth, was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he died of injuries, said police spokesman Mike Simpkins.
McGinnis was headed north in a 1992 Pontiac. According to witnesses, his car drifted into the southbound lane and collided with the truck, Simpkins said.
The truck driver, Larry J. Walsh, 52, of the 22000 block of Thomas Woods Trail, Zuni, was taken to Maryview Hospital. A hospital spokesman said he was discharged Wednesday.
Walsh was driving a 1992 Kenworth tractor-trailer belonging to Gwaltney of Smithfield Ltd. The truck turned on its side, spilling meat onto the highway. A front-end loader was brought in to scoop it up.
Police said that the weather was not a factor in the collision but that it hampered the cleanup and investigation. Walsh was wearing a seat belt; it was not known if McGinnis was, police said.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC FATALITY by CNB