A California man died when his tractor-trailer overturned on Interstate 81 Tuesday afternoon.

The crash happened about 12:15 p.m. on Exit 94A, a Pulaski service road exit off northbound I-81.

Virginia State Police Sgt. Dirk Compton said the driver apparently didn't slow down sufficiently to maneuver the exit.

The truck left 170 feet of skid marks before crashing through the guardrail and over an embankment. The truck landed upside-down with the trailer in a ravine.

The driver's name hasn't been released because his family hasn't been notified of his death, Compton said.

The man was hauling a full load of peaches from Fresno, Calif., to Brooklyn, N.Y., for 24-7 Logistics of Fresno.

He was wearing a seatbelt but was killed by the impact of the crash, Compton said. No other vehicles were involved and no one else appeared to be in the truck, he said.

Police closed off the exit ramp shortly after the crash and estimated it would remain closed until at least 8 p.m.

The tractor-trailer must be stabilized before it can be unloaded and moved, Compton said.

Normally, he said, the entire trailer would be picked up. The trailer is broken open, though, so the peaches will have to be unloaded one box at a time.

-- Shawna Morrison