The truck was recovered after a daylong search and emergency repairs on the span.
CAPE CHARLES, Va. — Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel police investigated a fatal single-vehicle crash Sunday after a Perdue Farms tractor-trailer broke through the barrier on the southbound span near the North Channel Bridge and plunged into the water, shutting down lanes and triggering a multiagency recovery effort.
The incident tested the bridge-tunnel’s ability to respond to a major crash in a remote, exposed stretch of highway. Officials said the driver, Ronnie Andrews, 61, of Robersonville, North Carolina, died, and the truck and trailer were recovered Sunday evening. Bridge-tunnel officials said weather was not a factor, and maintenance crews expected repairs near the damaged guardrail and curb to continue for several days, leaving traffic restrictions in place.
The wreck happened around 6:30 a.m. as the tractor-trailer traveled southbound just south of Fisherman’s Island, officials said. The truck went over the west side of the span after striking the barrier. Officials said no other vehicles were involved. The crash immediately forced the closure of all southbound lanes while responders assessed the structural damage and began searching the water below. Perdue Farms confirmed Andrews’ death and said it was cooperating with authorities. “We are heartbroken to confirm that a Perdue driver died following an accident on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel,” the company said in a statement, calling Andrews a valued member of its team.
Bridge-tunnel officials said early information did not point to wind, rain or visibility problems. They reported low winds, no rain and fair visibility at the time of the crash. That focus on conditions was significant for a facility that frequently posts wind advisories and truck restrictions, but officials said those factors were not driving this incident based on the preliminary review. Jeff Holland, the bridge-tunnel’s executive director, said in a statement that staff members were mourning the loss. “The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the CBBT are with the family, loved ones and fellow employees of Mr. Andrews during this difficult time,” Holland said.
In the hours after the truck went into the water, the bridge-tunnel’s operations shifted from rescue to recovery. Officials said the U.S. Coast Guard and Virginia Beach Marine Police assisted in the search. By Sunday evening, officials said Andrews’ body had been found and the vehicle and trailer were recovered. The bridge-tunnel reported damage to the guardrail and curb, requiring emergency work by maintenance crews. Officials said they expected the repair effort to stretch into the week, with lane restrictions remaining as crews replaced damaged sections and completed more permanent fixes.
The bridge-tunnel’s geography complicates major crash scenes. Once drivers enter the 23-mile facility, there are limited places to stop safely and few ways to reverse direction. When an incident blocks a span, backups can grow quickly because drivers cannot easily exit until they reach either the Eastern Shore side near Cape Charles or the Southside near Virginia Beach. Officials said traffic control measures later allowed limited movement, with a single lane routed around the crash scene as conditions permitted, but they warned that closures could return as heavy equipment and repair crews worked near the roadway edge.
Investigators did not say what caused the truck to strike the barrier, and officials did not release details about whether the driver attempted to correct course before the vehicle went over. They also did not provide information about possible mechanical problems, roadway defects or medical factors. The bridge-tunnel police department, which patrols and investigates incidents inside the facility, led the investigation, officials said. Perdue Farms, headquartered in Salisbury, Maryland, operates facilities on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, and the crash involved a vehicle associated with a company that is a familiar presence on U.S. 13 and regional routes that feed the bridge-tunnel.
The fatal crash also renewed attention on the bridge-tunnel’s history of over-the-side incidents. The last tractor-trailer to go over the bridge-tunnel was in June 2023, when a driver died after the truck hit a curb and blew a tire before entering the water, officials have said. A similar crash occurred in 2020. The facility has long documented past incidents involving vehicles leaving the roadway, and each event tends to draw scrutiny because of the extreme consequences when a vehicle breaches the barrier above open water. Officials did not suggest a direct connection between Sunday’s crash and earlier wrecks, and they said the current investigation would focus on the facts of this single-vehicle incident.
Throughout the day, responders worked in difficult conditions that come with a water recovery near active travel lanes. Crews had to secure the crash area, keep workers protected from traffic and coordinate with marine units below the span. Aerial imagery from regional outlets showed the truck in the water and floating debris nearby, highlighting the challenge of containment and retrieval. Officials did not provide an estimate for the cost of repairs or the full extent of damage, but they said emergency fixes were made quickly to allow some traffic to pass while more work was planned.
As of Monday, officials said the crash investigation was continuing and that drivers should expect ongoing lane restrictions near the scene for several days as repairs progress. Bridge-tunnel officials have said they will provide updated traffic conditions as crews complete guardrail and curb work and investigators finish on-scene documentation.
Author note: Last updated February 16, 2026.