I-81 tractor-trailer crash sends driver to U.Va. hospital

By Jimmy LaRoue

Published: July 19, 2008

A Roanoke man was airlifted to the University of Virginia Medical Center with undisclosed injuries following a fiery, single-vehicle crash Saturday morning on Interstate 81 southbound near Weyers Cave, according to the Virginia State Police.
A witness told state police that the driver, William Andrews, 59, of Roanoke, was driving south on I-81 near mile marker 234.5 around 9:10 a.m. when his tractor-trailer veered to the left and went through a guardrail and the median before going airborne, according to Sgt. David Cooper of the Virginia State Police.
The tractor-trailer then struck the bridge, at which point it caught on fire before landing on the railroad track below.
Southbound I-81 was shut down for about 30 minutes before one lane reopened to traffic, which backed up for more than four miles following the crash, Cooper said. Both southbound lanes were reopened to traffic early Saturday afternoon.
Andrews remained conscious as he was being airlifted, Cooper said. The truck – which belonged to Howell’s Motor Freight of Roanoke – was totally destroyed by the fire, he said.
Cooper said the truck was empty at the time of the crash, which is still under investigation.