A fiery crash on Interstate 66 early Sunday morning claimed three lives and injured another motorist, according to the Virginia State Police.
The three-vehicle crash occurred westbound on the highway near the Fairfax County Parkway ramp at 3:53 a.m., according to State Police spokesman Sgt. Terry Licklider, who said the bodies were too badly burned to be identified by early Sunday afternoon.
Licklider said a gasoline tanker apparently struck the rear of a Jeep Wrangler, which in turn struck a 1996 Volvo station wagon. The fire might have originated from the gas tank of the Jeep, according to the sergeant. He said the 8,000 gallons of fuel in the tanker did not spill or ignite.
A man and a woman in the Volvo and a man driving the Jeep all were killed. The driver of the tanker was slightly injured and treated at the scene, Licklider said.
“We still don’t know exactly what happened,” he said. “The Volvo, the Jeep and the cab of the [tanker] were all completely burned up.”
Because the crash occurred in the early morning, the highway did not see major traffic disruptions, according to Licklider. Westbound I-66 was shut down for about two hours, and traffic was routed to Route 50. State Police fatal accident reconstruction crews were at the scene that morning.
Any potential charges have not yet been determined, the sergeant said.
Police have no witnesses and are asking anyone who saw the crash to call 703-323-4500.
