BLACKSBURG, Va. – A single-vehicle crash early Saturday morning left one person dead near the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg.
Around 3:40 a.m., Virginia Tech Police and Blacksburg Police responded to a report of a car accident on Research Center Drive near Pratt Drive. When officers arrived on scene, they found a lone occupant ejected from the vehicle.
Emergency medical personnel attempted life-saving measures, but the victim – believed to be the driver – was pronounced dead at the scene. The identity of the deceased has not yet been released, pending notification of next of kin.
The section of Research Center Drive where the crash occurred was closed for several hours Saturday morning as officers investigated. The road reopened around 11:20 a.m.
Fatal single-vehicle wrecks are uncommon in the area, according to authorities. The cause of the accident is still under investigation by the Virginia Tech Police crash investigation team. Excessive speed is one potential factor being examined.
Research Center Drive runs past several university research facilities and office buildings on the north side of campus. Though traffic is typically light overnight, the winding road’s proximity to student housing has prompted calls in the past for increased safety measures.
Saturday’s accident marks the first traffic fatality near campus since a motorcycle crash took the life of a Virginia Tech student in 2018.
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