A chain-reaction crash involving 10 vehicles shut down Interstate 81 northbound
for hours Tuesday evening, leaving one man dead and several others injured,
according to Virginia State Police.
The crash occurred around 5:08 p.m. near the 181-mile marker as heavy rain swept
through the area. Traffic was already slowing because of a two-vehicle crash just
ahead when vehicles began rear-ending one another, causing a massive pileup of
six tractor-trailers, three passenger cars, and a medical transport van.
Abdiqadir Ahmed Nur, 36, of Shakopee, Minnesota, was killed when his vehicle, the
last in the chain, struck several tractor-trailers. State police said he was wearing his
seatbelt and died at the scene.
The driver of the medical transport van suffered serious injuries. A helicopter was
dispatched to airlift the patient but was forced to divert because of weather; the
driver was instead taken by ground ambulance to Rockbridge Community Hospital.
Multiple other drivers sustained non-life-threatening injuries. No patient was
inside the medical van at the time of the crash.
The wreck also created hazardous material concerns with fuel spills and debris
scattered across the highway. The Virginia Department of Transportation detoured
traffic onto Route 11 while crews worked to clear the scene. All lanes were reopened
by 1 a.m. Wednesday.
State Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Richard Garletts said the crash remains
under investigation.
