Two Hampton Roads men died in a car accident on U.S. Route 58, about a mile east of the weigh scales, around 1:30 p.m. Friday. This is the third fatality in that section of roadway this week.

William T. Westbrook Jr., 74, of Portsmouth, and James Wright, 59, of Chesapeake, were killed instantly after their 1996 Lincoln hit a tree, said Officer Michael E. Simpkins, spokesman for the Suffolk Police Department.

The specific cause of the accident is still unknown, said Simpkins.

Witnesses reported that the Chesapeake man, who was operating the vehicle, repeatedly changed lanes and passed other vehicles in the minutes leading up to the accident.

&uot;Speed and (the rainy) weather probably both contributed to the accident,&uot; he said.

Late Friday, Simpkins said, investigators had not determined whether alcohol was involved. Both men were wearing seatbelts, he said.

The week’s first fatality happened Tuesday, when a tractor-trailer veered off the side of 58 West.