UPDATE 2:48 P.M.: WFXR sister station WRIC-TV reports 19 people were injured in an accident involving a Silver Lining tour bus and tractor-trailer loaded with U.S. mail on I-64 east near the top of Afton Mountain.
“A tractor-trailer was traveling east on I-64, when the driver lost control and the tractor-trailer overturned across the roadway,” VSP said. “A commercial bus traveling in the eastbound lane was unable to avoid the tractor-trailer and struck it.”
The impact of the crash split the tractor-trailer in half, VSP said.
The Silver Lining tour bus ran off the right side of the highway and came to rest against the guardrail. The bus had more than 20 passengers on board.
According to Virginia State Police, 15 people — including the two bus drivers — were taken to UVA Medical Center and 4 others were transported to Augusta Medical. The injuries range from minor to serious.
VSP said 44-year-old James Proffit of Suffolk — the tractor-trailer driver — is being treated for serious but non-life threatening injuries.
“There were at least seven other minor crashes that occurred in the eastbound lanes of I-64 immediately following the initial crash,” VSP said in an update. No one in those minor crashes sustained injuries.
Virginia State Police said heavy fog and icy roads were to blame for the crash.
The Virginia State Police Motor Carrier Safety Team responded to the scene to assist with the crash investigation. The U.S. Postal Inspector also responded to the scene since the tractor-trailer was loaded with U.S. mail.
UPDATE 9:30 A.M.: All lanes have re-opened after this morning’s wreck on Interstate 64 west of Charlottesville.
ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WFXR/WRIC) — A bus and tractor-trailer crash on Interstate 64 west of Charlottesville has shut the road and sent several to area hospitals.
According to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the wreck happened at mile marker 100 around 4:30 a.m. and involved a tractor-trailer and a commercial bus. A photo from VDOT showed an 18-wheeler stretched across multiple lanes near Afton. It is unclear how many other vehicles may be involved in the crash.
WFXR sister station WRIC-TV reports several people have been transported to Charlottesville-area hospitals with injuries. “Initial reports said it was a mass casualty accident, but according to VSP there are no confirmed fatalities,” the station reports.
It is unclear if weather conditions played a roll in the crash, but the National Weather Service office for the Washington and Baltimore regions warned of possible freezing drizzle and said drivers around Interstate 81 and Interstate 64 “in the valley” should use caution.
Detours are in place for both east and westbound lanes between exits 96 and 107. If you are traveling north of the WFXR viewing area in this region, use caution and expect delays.
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