2 accidents raise US storm, blackout toll to 26
By Associated Press
Jul 4, 2012 2:29 PM CDT
2 accidents raise US storm, blackout toll to 26
Trees lie in the middle of Lake Ave. in Baltimore on Monday July 2, 2012, after a severe storm swept through the region late Friday. Power outages left many to contend with stifling homes and spoiled food over the weekend as temperatures approached or exceeded 100 degrees.(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)   (Associated Press)

The death toll blamed on storms and the ensuing blackout across the eastern U.S. is now at 26 after two accidents in Virginia.

The sheriff's office in Loudoun County, on the Maryland border, said Wednesday a utility worker crashed after her truck had brake problems.

The bucket truck's driver, 57-year-old Jacqueline Green, died after going downhill into an intersection and hitting a semi-trailer Tuesday.

Authorities also said there was a death in Richmond caused by a falling tree. But Laura Southard of the state Department of Emergency Management said no other details were immediately available.

More than 900,000 homes and businesses remained without power early Wednesday from the Mid-Atlantic to the Midwest.

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