A 30-year-old man from Appalachia died following a single-vehicle wreck on Dorchester Road in Wise County last weekend. Austin M. Siebenhaar was behind the wheel of a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze traveling west around 8:50 p.m. on October 10 when the vehicle left the pavement.
Virginia State Police reported the car ran off the left side, crossed a concrete culvert, and flipped into a creek. Crews pulled him from the wreckage and transported him to a local hospital. He had his seatbelt on at the time.
Siebenhaar died from the injuries on October 11. Authorities confirmed the crash remains under investigation. No other people were in the vehicle or involved.
The stretch of Dorchester Road west of Pierce Road sees its share of nighttime traffic. Rural roads like this one can shift from dry pavement to uneven edges without much warning. The concrete culvert and creek below left little room for recovery once the car went off the roadway.
Responders faced the task of reaching a vehicle that had overturned in the water. The scene stayed active as police documented the path of the car from the road to the creek.
Siebenhaar was known in the Appalachia area. He was 30 years old at the time of the crash. Family members and neighbors have been dealing with the sudden news since Sunday.
State police have not released a final cause. The case stays open as they review the evidence from the site.
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