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NORFOLK BEACH, Va. (AP) — Authorities in Virginia say a truck driver died on Thursday after striking a stopped maintenance vehicle on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, causing the tractor-trailer to jackknife, hit a light pole and plunge into the Chesapeake Bay.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connects the Eastern Shore of Virginia with Virginia Beach and spans more than 17 miles of water.
Officials say it's rare for a vehicle to crash into the water, with only about a dozen in the bridge-tunnel's 50-year history.
Following the morning accident, the Virginia Beach Fire Department said Navy divers who were in the area responded and tried to recover the body of the truck driver.
Officials now say a private company of divers will be used to try to recover the driver. The truck is said to be smashed and that rescuers can't open the door to retrieve the driver.
%@AP Links
329-a-14-(Tom Anderson, deputy director, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, in AP interview)-"the, the body"-The deputy director of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Tom Anderson, says local police divers, Navy divers and others haven't been able to free the victim's body from the truck. ((watch for dating)) (15 May 2014)
<<CUT *329 (05/15/14)££ 00:14 "the, the body"
328-a-17-(Tom Anderson, deputy director, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, in AP interview)-"our northbound span"-The deputy director of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Tom Anderson, says the driver of a tractor-trailer was killed when he struck a construction vehicle in a work zone, then a light pole, and then skidded off the bridge into the water. (15 May 2014)
<<CUT *328 (05/15/14)££ 00:17 "our northbound span"
331-a-09-(Tom Anderson, deputy director, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, in AP interview)-"off the side"-The deputy director of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Tom Anderson, says this isn't the first time that a truck has gone off the span. (15 May 2014)
<<CUT *331 (05/15/14)££ 00:09 "off the side"
330-a-16-(Tom Anderson, deputy director, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, in AP interview)-"along the, span"-The deputy director of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Tom Anderson, says the roadwork project was well-marked. (15 May 2014)
<<CUT *330 (05/15/14)££ 00:16 "along the, span"
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