Tractor-trailer crash on Route 15 in Jefferson

JEFFERSON – Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a tractor trailer truck accident on Route 15.

Police were first contacted at 9:25 a.m. on Tuesday about the accident on Route 15 South in the area of the Lakeside Shopping Center.

Traffic Officer Rodger Davis’s initial investigation revealed that a tractor trailer operated by Ali Nelson, 36, of Falls Church, Va., was traveling south and approaching the traffic light at Edison Road just before the crash.

Nelson told police that a vehicle suddenly stopped in front of him, which resulted in him braking hard to avoid striking the vehicle but causing his own truck to jackknife.

The tractor trailer then veered off the road and struck an excavator that parked on the side of the road, police said. The excavator was not being operated at the time.

No injuries were reported and traffic was able to get around the accident on the shoulder, police said.

The accident is still under investigation, police said.