3 Die After Tractor Trailer Collides With Oncoming I-81 Traffic

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, VA — The Virginia State Police is investigating a multi-vehicle crash in Rockingham County Wednesday afternoon when a tractor trailer traveling north on Interstate 81 ran off the left side of the interstate, crossed the median and collided head-on with southbound traffic. Three people, including the driver of the tractor trailer, died in the crash, the police said.

I-81 is one of the most heavily used highways for tractors trailers in Virginia, making travel on the interstate risky at times for drivers of smaller vehicles.

At around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the tractor trailer collided head-on with a southbound 2013 Honda Civic and a 2012 Ford E-450, according to the police. The impact caused a southbound 2003 Honda Element to collide with the Ford. The tractor trailer also collided with a southbound 2016 Freightliner tractor trailer.

The tractor trailer driver, William A. Milam, 52, of Jamestown, Tennessee, died at the scene as a result of his injuries. The driver of the Honda Civic, Dylan P. Snell, 33, of Clemmons, North Carolina, died at the scene as a result of Milan's tractor trailer colliding with his car.

The northbound-headed tractor trailer's shift into southbound traffic also led to the death of the driver of the Ford E-450, Robert W. Fitzgerald Jr., 41, of Crimora, Virginia, who died at the scene as a result of his injuries, according to the police. A passenger in the Ford E-450, a 32-year-old male, suffered serious injuries in the crash and was transported to Sentara RMH Medical Center.

The driver of the Honda Element, a 21-year-old male, of Stephens City, Virginia, suffered minor injuries in the crash and was transported to Sentara RMH Medical Center. A passenger in the Honda Element, a 21-year-old male, also suffered minor injuries in the crash and was transported to Sentara RMH Medical Center.

The driver of the Freightliner, a 40-year-old male, of Florence, New Jersey, suffered minor injuries in the crash and was transported to Sentara RMH Hospital.

Cleanup of the crash cleanup caused I-81 southbound to be closed for several hours. The crash remains under investigation.

Virginia State Police's Division 2 Accident Reconstruction Team and its Motor Carrier Team, along with the Harrisonburg Fire and Rescue, Rockingham Fire and Rescue, Virginia Department of Transportation, participated in the investigation and care of the crash victims.