VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Police are investigating a fatal crash that happened early Tuesday morning on Dam Neck Road.
Dispatch said they received the call around 3 a.m. for a multi-vehicle accident in the 2500 block of Dam Neck Road.
The preliminary investigation showed a Nissan pickup was heading east on Dam Neck when it became disabled. The driver got out to work on the vehicle when a GMC SUV struck the rear of the truck.
The pedestrian was seriously injured and two passengers inside the Nissan were hurt, police say.
After striking the Nissan, the GMC rolled and struck a tree in the center median, police say, causing it to catch fire. The driver, who was the only person in the GMC, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified on Wednesday as 33-year-old Nicolas William Radelt, of Smithfield.
“There were three explosions. The flames went up, it was horrible. The flames were so high in the air,” said Jinger Ioven, an eyewitness.
Ioven said the image is now plastered in her mind.
“My heart goes out to the family.”
The crash was still under investigation as of Wednesday morning, and police said speed and intoxication were believed to be factors.
Stay tuned to WAVY.com for updates.
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