NORFOLK, Va. — Campostella Road has reopened after a chain of crashes brought down utility lines, knocked out power and forced part of the busy Norfolk roadway to close for nearly a day.
Norfolk Police said the road reopened to all traffic at about 2:10 a.m. Sept. 6, ending a detour that had been in place while utility crews repaired extensive damage near Campostella and Wilson roads.
The trouble began around 3:30 a.m. Sept. 5, when officers were called to the 800 block of Campostella Road for a reported single-vehicle crash.
Police found an overturned Mercedes sedan in the yard of a nearby home.
According to the preliminary investigation, the Mercedes was traveling south on Campostella Road at a high rate of speed when the 68-year-old driver lost control. The car crossed the median and northbound lanes before leaving the road, striking a utility pole and overturning.
Norfolk Fire-Rescue crews extricated the driver, a Jarratt, Virginia, man, from the vehicle. He was taken to a hospital with injuries police described as non-life-threatening.
Charges are pending as investigators continue looking into the crash.
The initial collision left overhead power lines sagging across Campostella Road, setting off another crash just minutes later.
Police said a dump truck traveling south struck the low-hanging lines about two minutes after the first crash, causing more damage to utility poles and lines.
The truck driver stayed inside his vehicle until authorities determined it was safe for him to get out. He reported a minor injury but did not require transportation to a hospital.
The second crash also caused a utility pole to fall onto an unoccupied vehicle parked in the 800 block of Elkin Street.
With multiple poles, power lines and communications equipment damaged, authorities closed Campostella Road in both directions between East Indian River Road and Wilson Road.
Crews restored power to the area around 7:50 p.m. Sept. 5. Repairs to the roadway and utility infrastructure continued into the night before police confirmed Campostella Road had fully reopened early the next morning.
The investigation remains ongoing.