Pickup truck driver dies in fiery crash on I-66 in Fairfax County, others injured

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) — One person is dead and two others were left injured after a fiery crash on Interstate 66 in Fairfax County over the weekend, according to police.

At around 6 p.m. on Aug. 2, Virginia State Police (VSP) responded to a crash with reported injuries on I-66 west at the Fairfax County Parkway. Once at the scene, troopers found a 1996 Nissan pickup truck on the left shoulder of the express lanes fully engulfed in flames.

The driver of the pickup truck, who was trapped inside the vehicle, died at the scene. Officials later identified him as Will Hernandez-Villalta, 20, of Manassas, Va.

State police said an initial investigation determined that Hernandez-Villalta was stopped in the left lane of the interstate because of a mechanical issue when a Honda SUV struck his pickup truck from behind, propelling it across traffic bollards and into the left shoulder of the express lanes, where it caught fire.

Medics took the Honda driver and a 6-year-old passenger who were inside the striking vehicle to the hospital with minor injuries.

Police shut down the westbound side of the express lanes for the investigation, keeping the service road for Route 286 that connects to I-66 open to allow westbound traffic to continue moving.

The cause of the crash has not yet been released, but state police said charges are pending.