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In Virginia there is a 15-mile section of the Blue Ridge Highway has been closed since Sept. 2, 2019, after a head-on collision killed a man who was 44 years old.
Rangers received a call around 3 a.m. on Labor Day. The call was for a head-on collision involving two vehicles near mile marker 132, near Roanoke, Virginia. This report came from a new release from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The person who called dispatch, reported that one vehicle had driven down the embankment and the second vehicle was still on the road and on fire.
National Park Service Rangers and local rescue crews arrived to learn Ian Mills, 44, of Roanoke had died from injuries he sustained during the crash. Occupants of both vehicles suffered injuries. They were taken to a local hospital.
The road is still closed between mile marker 121 to 136. Crews are assessing road damage that resulted from the fire. According to the Park Service, there is not an estimate on when that section will reopen. The investigation is ongoing.
This is at lease the 12th fatality on the parkway so far this year.
The crash occurred on Monday, Sept. 4, 2019, at 3 a.m.
The Senior Vice President of Facilities Services and Property Management Services at Carilion Clinic, and his wife Donna were injured in the accident.
Ian Mills was a chef at Big Apple Circus. A spokesperson from the restaurant said they were “devastated. Ian was a beloved member of our community.”
According to the National Park Service, Mills’ car swerved off the parkway, down an embankment, and the other car caught on fire after the accident.
No one was in the other car when it caught on fire; they had been taken to the hospital.
By Jeanette Smith
Citizen Times: Virginia man dies in head-on car crash on Blue Ridge Parkway
10 News: Carilion Clinic VP, wife involved in Blue Ridge Parkway crash that kills 44-year-old son
WHSV 5: Section of Blue Ridge Parkway closed near Roanoke after fatal crash
Image Courtesy of Kipp Teague’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
