Two killed on Blue Ridge Parkway when vehicle misses curve and hits trees, park says

Two men from Mexico were killed on the Blue Ridge Parkway early Monday, Nov. 8, when their vehicle missed a curve on the scenic byway, according to the National Park Service.

The crash was discovered around 8 a.m. near Milepost 386, about two miles south of a Blue Ridge Parkway visitor’s center in Buncombe County, park officials said in a news release.

Both men died at the scene and were still inside the vehicle when rescuers arrived, officials said.

The driver was identified as Jose Roberto Espino Ruiz, 28, and the passenger was Michael Huitron, 26, the National Park Service said in an update.

“The preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle was traveling southbound in a left-hand curve when the vehicle left the roadway, lost control and struck two trees,” officials said.

“The investigation is ongoing to determine if there are any further, contributing factors.”

At least eight people have died this year in Blue Ridge Parkway traffic accidents, most involving motorcycle crashes. Another death, discovered in October, has been ruled a homicide and remains under investigation.

The winding, two-lane parkway runs 469 miles through the mountains in Virginia and North Carolina and is known for offering drivers broad views of mountain ridge tops. The National Park Service reports 14 million people visited the parkway last year.

This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 9:10 AM with the headline "Two killed on Blue Ridge Parkway when vehicle misses curve and hits trees, park says."