One Killed In Pileup Interstate Closed For 8 Hours
A chain-reaction crash involving 10 vehicles shut down Interstate 81 northbound for hours last Thursday 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 north of Fancy Hill 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, Minn., was killed when his vehicle, the last in the chain, struck several tractortrailers. 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 prompted a large emergency response. Natural Bridge Fire Department, Glasgow Fire Department, Rockbridge County Fire-Rescue, Glasgow Rescue Squad, Lexington Fire and EMS, and Buena Vista Rescue Squad were all dispatched to the scene, according to Rockbridge County Fire Chief Nathan Ramsey. The call came in at 5:04 p.m., and the northbound lanes of I-81 remained closed until around midnight, while the Virginia Department of Transportation diverted traffic onto U.S. 11.
Crews also dealt with hazardous materials, including fuel spills and debris, before the interstate could fully reopen. Robert Young’s Towing handled recovery operations.
VDOT worked with state police to manage detours, and the northbound lanes were cleared and reopened by about 1 a.m. Friday.
State Police public information officer Sgt. Richard Garletts said the crash remains under investigation.
THIS IMAGE is from a video supplied by the Virginia State Police showing the start of the multi-vehicle collision, taken from a truck driver’s dashcam. The video can be seen on The News-Gazette’s website at www.thenews-gazette.com.
