Episode 64 Show Notes
Truck driver cited for crash that left decimated cab dangling from Virginia I-77 bridgePublished:
CDL Life August 9, 2024 By Ashley A truck driver was cited for a single vehicle crash that left him with injuries near Hillsville, Virginia, on Thursday.
When crews arrived at the scene, they found the tractor dangling off the bridge over Route 58 east. “The cab had sheared off and fallen to Highway 58 and rolled over the guardrail,” HFD said.
Virginia State Police later said that the truck was northbound on I-77 when it struck a guardrail on the right side of the road, causing the cab of the tractor to separate from the rest of the vehicle and sparking a fireball, according to witnesses.
“The passenger compartment rolled through both the eastbound and westbound lanes of Route 58, striking a sign in the median. The passenger compartment eventually came to rest off of the westbound lanes of Route 58, while the trailer portion of the vehicle stopped and remained on I-77. The driver of the tractor trailer, Nelson A. Diaz Dieguez, 36, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, suffered serious injuries in the crash. He was transported to an area hospital. Diaz Dieguez was not wearing a seatbelt. He has been cited for failure to maintain control of the vehicle,” VSP said.
John A. Dailey (Photo provided by the Allen County Sheriff’s Department)
Sgt. Adam Griffith with the Allen County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Dailey is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash, reckless homicide, and obstruction of justice in connection to the hit-and-run from July 25.
The Allen County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Brad Nacio, a 48-year-old from Indianapolis.
According to Allen Superior Court documents and a release from the Allen County Sheriff’s Department, Nacio had been standing on the shoulder of the highway wearing a yellow reflective vest near his semi that had broken down when an oncoming semi — allegedly driven by Dailey — hit him. Court documents indicated Nacio had been ran over multiple times.
Investigators determined Nacio was hit shortly after 2:30 a.m., and his body was found around 3 a.m.
Based on evidence at the scene, police determined the suspect vehicle was a maroon Volvo semitruck with a missing mirror on its passenger side, and multiple tips helped police determine the suspect vehicle was spotted on I-69 east of Marion and northwest of Muncie on the day of the crash, according to court documents.
Police learned that the suspect vehicle belonged to a trucking company based in New York, and authorities learned from the company that Dailey owned the truck and was the only one who drove the truck, according to court documents.
The company also provided police with dashcam video from Dailey’s semitruck that reportedly showed the semitruck hit Nacio at 68 mph and continue without stopping, according to court documents.
On July 29, police found the semitruck in southern Indiana with what appeared to be a new passenger side mirror that was a different color from the other driver’s side mirror.
When police also found the trailer Dailey was hauling in Michigan on Aug. 1, crime scene technicians analyzed the trailer and found “possible body fluid” that will be taken to the Indiana State Police for testing.
The trucking company told police Dailey was fired due to his reported involvement in a crash, but Dailey reportedly told the company he was not involved in a crash, according to court documents.
There are no court dates set for Dailey as of Thursday afternoon.
