Two men die in Charles City crash

Two men are dead after the pickup truck in which they were riding left the road in Charles City County, struck a tree, and burst into flames early this morning.

State Police investigators are not releasing the victims’ names, pending positive identification by the state medical examiner’s office and notification of next of kin.

State Police spokesman Sgt. Thomas Molnar said the accident occurred around 3 a.m. today (March 9) on Route 5 (John Tyler Memorial Highway), just west of the Wilcox Neck Road (Route 623) intersection in the county’s eastern end.

Molnar said the 2004 Ford F-150 was traveling west when it ran off the right side of the road. The driver apparently overcorrected, causing the pickup to run off the left side before striking a tree and catching fire. Route 5 remained closed for 5½ hours after the crash.