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A Fairfield man died following an accident last Tuesday evening on U.S. 11 in front of Lee Hi Truck Stop.
The Virginia State Police reported that a 2023 Kenworth tractor-trailer traveling south was making a left turn into the truck stop when it was struck in rear by a 2024 Kia Soul traveling north. The Soul then was pinned underneath the truck.
The driver of the Soul, Richard N. Harper, 51, of Fairfield died at an area hospital. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
The driver of the tractor trailer, Ralph Thermil, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was not injured. Thermil was wearing a seatbelt.
The crash, which occurred at 8:03 p.m. March 26, remains under investigation.
The northbound lanes of U.S. 11 at Lee Hi were closed for about three hours as first responders and police worked the accident scene.
The Lexington Fire Department, Rockbridge County Fire and Rescue, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Virginia State Police, responded to the incident.
