Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Bicyclist killed by truck on U.S. 460; traffic resumes
Sam Dean | The Roanoke Times
The crumpled bike of a man killed by a tractor-trailer on U.S. 460 sits some distance from the wreck, which occurred at Avery Row in Roanoke County.
View Bicyclist killed by truck on U.S. 460, blocking eastbound traffic in a larger map
A bicyclist was killed by a tractor-trailer today on U.S. 460, blocking eastbound rush-hour traffic at Avery Row in Roanoke County near the Botetourt County line for at least 90 minutes. Eastbound traffic was allowed to move about 6:30 p.m. as authorities directed one lane of traffic in each direction past the crash.
The dead man wasn’t identified. His body lay covered by a white sheet about 75 feet from his crumpled bicycle for more than an hour.
Roanoke County Fire Lt. Rob Winfield said the victim appeared to have been biking down a hill on Avery Row and was struck by a tractor-trailer when he reached U.S. 460. The trucker stopped his rig on the shoulder of the highway nearby.
Two lanes of stranded motorists stretched at least a half-mile from a cluster of Roanoke County police, state police and Botetourt County sheriff’s patrol cars. The eastbound side of the highway remained closed, but authorities directed eastbound motorists onto one of the westbound lanes of the divided highway.
