NEIL HARVEY The Roanoke Times

A tractor-trailer crashed Wednesday afternoon on I-81 near Exit 150. No one was hurt, but the driver was charged in the incident.

A tractor-trailer crash on southbound Interstate 81 tied up traffic for hours Wednesday in Botetourt County but caused no injures, according to Virginia State Police.

Trooper C.D. Price said the wreck occurred about 4:30 p.m. at mile marker 150.3, just north of Exit 150 at Troutville.

Price said the truck driver "came up on slower traffic, realized he was going faster and jammed his brakes."

The truck jackknifed and struck the left guardrail, then bounced across both interstate lanes and a merge lane, broke through the right guardrail and went partially over the bank, Price said. Parts of the truck cab and the trailer hung over a steep hill near the interstate bridge that crosses U.S. 220.

The Troutville Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene and Assistant Chief Scott Paderick said no one was hurt and only a small amount of fuel was spilled when the cap of the truck's gas tank was knocked off.

The Virginia Department of Transportation shut down the interstate's center and right southbound lanes while crews attempted to remove the truck from the scene. Traffic merging onto the interstate from U.S. 220 North had to be stopped and flagged through. According to VDOT's Web site, traffic was backed up as far as six miles by nightfall, but the scene was clear by 8 p.m.

Price said the driver was charged with failure to maintain control of his vehicle.