A pileup that left two tractor-trailers, two sport utility vehicles and a car strewn across a quarter-mile stretch of southbound Interstate 81 near Buchanan snarled traffic for miles Thursday morning.

The four crashes that caused the backup happened in Botetourt County a quarter-mile north of exit 167 about 5:30 a.m., according to Virginia State Police. The pileup illustrated a warning from local rescue officials who call the stretch between Buchanan and Natural Bridge one of the most dangerous portions of I-81 in the state.

"We came out here this morning and what we saw was this tangled-up mess that we always see whenever it rains here," said John Manspile, chief of the Buchanan Volunteer Fire Department.

One man was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital with what appeared to be minor injures, and no one was seriously injured, according to state police.

The left lane reopened at 7:30 a.m. as hazardous materials crews covered spilled diesel fuel with a sandlike substance and swept it away. Both lanes had reopened to traffic by 11:30 a.m., the Virginia Department of Transportation said.

The accident started when a white 1996 Ford Explorer disconnected from the red 1999 Ford Explorer it was pulling. Mahobala-Rankidi Shadrack Masemola, 24, of Plainfield, N.J., who was driving, lost control of the vehicles and crashed against the left railing, said Sgt. Rob Carpentieri, a state police spokesman. Masemola was charged with operating without a license and reckless driving.

A Toyota Corolla then hit the railing as the driver swerved to avoid the two Explorers. John Smith, 36, a passenger, was taken to Roanoke Memorial. Information regarding Smith's hometown was unavailable Thursday. He had been discharged by Thursday afternoon, hospital spokesman Eric Earnhart said.

Two tractor-trailers that were driving beside each other then collided as the one in the left lane swerved while avoiding the red Explorer, which remained on the road. One of the tractor-trailers stopped on the shoulder. The other sped away, Carpentieri said.

Finally, a third tractor-trailer jackknifed and spilled diesel fuel on the road after striking the red Ford Explorer on the road.

Manspile, the fire chief, said it was very likely the drivers lost control of their vehicles because the road was slippery after overnight rains.

"Vehicles in this area should always watch their speed," he said. "And if it's raining, definitely slow down."