2 Accidents Raise U.S. Storm, Blackout Toll To 26

BLUEMONT, Va. (AP) -- 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 from Florida 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.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)