Monday, January 30, 2012
A tragic accident claimed the life of two students Sunday, authorities claim.
Gloria Vasquez and Maricela Munoz, both residents of Norfolk, Virginia, were traveling in Vasquez' 1998 Taurus on Interstate 264 through the Downtown Tunnel late Sunday evening when a section of the tunnel apparently exploded, trapping the Vasquez and Munoz in a pile of rubble, say engineers with the Norfolk Transportation Safety Board.
"We believe an electrical fire might have been the initial cause of the accident," states Louis Dawson, a safety engineer with the Board.
So far, no witnesses to the accident have been found, though police were quick to mention that neither alcohol nor a high rate of speed are being considered factors in the accident.
Vasquez and Munoz were both majoring in psychology at nearby Portsmouth Community College. Munoz was engaged to be married to her high school sweetheart, Michael Farnetti, at the end of the month.
"I'm determined to get to the bottom of this no matter how long it takes," said Farnetti, of Farnetti and Sons Contracting, which earlier this year made headlines due to the sudden death of company founder John Robert Farnetti, Michael's father, which made the younger Farnetti the majority stockholder in the Fortune 500 architectural firm.
Portsmouth Community College students had just recently mourned the death of another of its own, Portsmouth resident Shaun Jacobs.
"At times like these, it makes you thankful for what you have," said a student who wished not to be named.
The Downtown Tunnel remains closed for an indefinite period of time, pending investigation and repair.
Norfolk Herald
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment