Saturday, February 06, 2010
Winter turns deadly with tractor-trailer accident on I-81
A man and his son were struck by a tractor-trailer while pulled over to help another motorist.
STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS The Roanoke Times
Brandon Heinrich, (from left) Gary Hunley and Spenser Hall dig Heinrich's car out of a snowbank Friday morning on View Avenue in Roanoke County. Heinrich, a driver for Papa John's Pizza on Brambleton Avenue, was slated to work from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. "They'll probably let me go early, just because the car's a two-wheel drive," he said.
Photos by Eric Brady | The Roanoke Times
Cars and trucks move steadily on southbound Interstate 81 near exit 141 in Roanoke County Friday morning. [See more photos of the early morning snow]
Passengers load Flight 5543 en-route to Atlanta before it takes off from Roanoke Regional Airport Friday morning. [See more photos of the early morning snow]
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Update (12:02 p.m. Saturday): Follow our continuous updates throughout the weekend as the snow continues to fall.
A father and son were killed Friday on Interstate 81 when they pulled over to help another driver and a tractor-trailer jack-knifed and struck them, police said.
William Edward Smith Sr., 54, of Sylva, N.C., and William Edward Smith Jr., 25, of Mooresburg, Tenn., were killed in the weather-related crash about 12:40 a.m. near mile marker 58 in Wythe County, two miles south of the Rural Retreat exit, Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said in a news release.
The chain-reaction crash started when a northbound car spun out of control and came to rest in the left northbound lane, Geller said.
The younger Smith pulled the Dodge Caravan he was driving onto the right shoulder so one of his passengers, a nurse, could help the people in the car.
Within minutes, a northbound tractor-trailer came upon the disabled car and jack-knifed while trying to avoid hitting it, Geller said.
The tractor-trailer instead struck the Caravan, she said, killing Smith Sr., who was inside, and his son, who was standing outside. Both men died at the scene.
The nurse, whom Geller didn't name, was helping the injured people inside the car at the time and wasn't hurt.
Ambulances took three people to Wythe County Community Hospital, said Capt. Jay Hawkins of the Rural Retreat Life Saving Crew. The only person not taken to the hospital was the tractor-trailer driver, he said.
No one has been charged in the crash, which remains under investigation, Geller said.
State police reported more than 260 crashes on Friday. Crashes that blocked traffic along I-81 were reported near Ironto, Radford and Pulaski, the Virginia Department of Transportation said. Disabled vehicles in Roanoke and Franklin counties blocked traffic along U.S. 220 throughout the day, VDOT said.
Weather led to several miles of Interstate 77 in Carroll County becoming blocked for hours Friday morning.
Several tractor-trailers were unable to make the grade on I-77 south near mile marker 21 and became stuck about 8:50 a.m., Geller said.
About an hour later, several tractor-trailers jack-knifed near southbound mile marker 41, she said. A group of tractor-trailers also became stuck on the upward slope on I-77 north near mile marker 3.
Parts of the interstate were shut down for nearly four hours while the trucks were removed.
Staff writer Jorge Valencia contributed to this report.
