A 41-vehicle wreck caused traffic backups on Interstate 81 south in Rockbridge County on Sunday and sent at least 10 people to the hospital.
Emergency Management Coordinator Robert Foresman said two tractor-trailers and one camper overturned. The camper was destroyed, he said.
Both southbound lanes at mile marker 196 were closed for hours after the wreck, which occurred at 4:54 p.m., Foresman said. Traffic was backed up about 5 miles at 9 p.m., according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. It was cleared at 11:42 p.m. according to VDOT's website.
Foresman said he was unsure of what caused the wreck but added that a severe rain storm had passed through the area. He said between 10 and 15 people were taken to the hospital, but further information about injuries was not immediately available.
At 9 p.m., Foresman said crews were still removing vehicles from the interstate. A detour was established at Exit 200 that directed southbound traffic onto Virginia 710 east, to U.S. 11 south and back onto I-81 at mile marker 195.
Wes Bunch, of Kingsport, Tenn., was returning home from a weekend in Washington, D.C., when he came upon the stand-still traffic about 7:15 p.m. By 8:40 p.m., he estimated that he had moved less than half a mile.
"Most people are out of their cars, either standing or sitting on guardrails," Bunch wrote in an email while he was stuck in the congestion.
Wrecks in Botetourt County had caused delays on I-81 earlier in the day. At mile marker 165, northbound traffic was delayed up to 8 miles Sunday afternoon because of another multi vehicle wreck that occurred before 3:40 p.m. The north left shoulder and left lane were closed at one point, but the wreck was cleared by 6:24 p.m., according to VDOT.
A tractor-trailer hauling appliances overturned Sunday morning on I-81 north at mile marker 167.8, near Buchanan. At 11:15?a.m., responders estimated it would take several hours to complete the cleanup, and traffic was delayed up to 8 miles. The wreck was cleared at 3:46 p.m., according to VDOT.
Copyright 2013 - The Roanoke Times, Va.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
