Virginia's interstates are hotspots for motor vehicle and tractor-trailer collisions. Far too often, these crashes result in catastrophic injury or wrongful death. Presumably, this can be blamed on the speed, congestion, and large number of commercial motor vehicles associated with interstates.
Many of our personal injury cases arise out of motor vehicle or tractor-trailer crashes on Virginia's interstates. As shown below, there are many Interstates in Virginia: I-64, I-66, I-77, I-81, I-85, I-95, I-195, I-264, I-295, I-381, I-395, I-464, I-495, I-564, I-581, and I-664.
1
Interstate 81
The largest portion of our firm's interstate cases come from Interstate 81. This could be because I-81 is the longest interstate located in Virginia, stretching a whopping 324.92 miles across the Commonwealth. 2 Interstate 81 passes by Bristol, Abingdon, Emory, Chilhowie, Marion, Rural Retreat, Wytheville, Pulaski, Dublin, Radford, Christiansburg/Blacksburg, Salem, Roanoke, Buchanan, Natural Bridge, Lexington, Staunton, Harrisonburg, New Market, Woodstock, Stephens City, and Winchester. "Within Virginia, I-81 connects 30 colleges and universities, 21 cities and towns, and 13 counties." 3
Interstate 81 is heavily trafficked by commercial motor vehicles and tractor-trailers because it is a major East Coast thoroughfare, spanning from Tennessee to New York for a total of 855.02 miles. 4 Interestingly, I-81 passes through six states, but approximately 38% of Interstate 81 is located in Virginia. 5 According to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), "nearly 50% of the state's value of goods are transported along the I-81 corridor, which has the highest per capita truck volume in Virginia. 6 For example, approximately 20% of the vehicles passing by Wytheville on I-81 have trailers, while only approximately 6% of vehicles passing through Richmond on I-95 have trailers. 7
Given I-81's heavy tractor-trailer presence, the highway can be extremely dangerous. Legally, commercial motor vehicles may have a maximum gross vehicle weight of 80,000 pounds. 8 On the other hand, sedans, such as a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, weigh approximately 3,300 pounds. 9 As you can imagine, commercial motor vehicles cause devastating damage and injuries when they impact a small vehicle. Below is a photograph showing the damage that resulted to one client's vehicle when it was sandwiched between two tractor-trailers.
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 is an east-west highway, running from Missouri to Virginia and spanning six states. 10 The largest portion of I-64 is in Virginia, where the highway spans 297.62 miles. 11 I-64 passes by many Virginia towns and cities, including Covington, Clifton Forge, Lexington, Staunton, Waynesboro, Afton, Charlottesville, Gum Spring, Richmond, Williamsburg, Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach.
Between Hampton and Norfolk lies I-64's Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT), which is a 3.5-mile-long underwater tunnel. 12 The HRBT is traveled by nearly three million vehicles each month. 13 Presumably, due to the HRBT and tourism to the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area, the eastern portion of I-64 is often congested, making it prone to motor vehicle collisions.
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is a north-south highway along the East Coast, stretching from Maine to Florida and running through 15 states and the District of Columbia. 14 I-95 is another dangerous Virginia highway, which spans 178.73 miles across Virginia and passes by Springfield, Woodbridge, Dale City, Dumfries, Stafford, Fredericksburg, Ruther Glen, Ashland, Richmond, Petersburg, Stony Creek, Emporia, and Skippers. 15
I-95 in Stafford, Virginia is home to Virginia's "worst" motor vehicle collision ever, which was a horrific 117-vehicle pileup that killed one person and injured 31 others. 16 I-95 is likely so dangerous because it is heavily trafficked. For example, according to VDOT's 2022 traffic volume data, the stretch of I-95 passing through Springfield has an average daily traffic volume of 241,000 vehicles; the stretch passing through Woodbridge has an average daily traffic volume of 202,000 vehicles; and the stretch passing by Richmond has an average daily traffic volume of 151,000 vehicles. 17 With the amount of traffic on I-95, it is unsurprising that I-95 is a hotspot for motor vehicle collisions.
Interstate 77
Interstate 77 is a north-south highway running from Ohio to South Carolina and spanning five states. 18 I-77 passes by several towns in Southwest Virginia, including Rocky Gap, Hicksville, Bastian, Bland, Wytheville, Fort Chiswell, Hillsville, and Fancy Gap. Although only 69.4 miles of I-77 is located in Virginia, 19 the roadway is a hotspot for motor vehicle and tractor-trailer collisions.
I-77 is vulnerable to motor vehicle collisions because of its curves, slope, and fog, especially on the southern portion of the roadway near Virginia's border with North Carolina. On Easter Sunday in 2013, there was a 95-car pileup in the Fancy Gap Mountain area of I-77, which is a location known for dense fog. 20 Three people died and more than 20 were hospitalized from the crash. 21 The crash is known as one of the worst in Virginia's history.
Interstate 77, like Interstate 81, is heavily frequented by commercial motor vehicles and tractor-trailers. For example, approximately 30% of the vehicles passing by Fancy Gap on I-77 have trailers, and approximately 23% of the vehicles passing by Bland on I-77 have trailers. 22
Footnotes
2. FHWA Route Log and Finder List, U.S. Dep't Transp. (Jan. 27, 2022), https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table01.cfm.
3. What is the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program?, VDOT (2024), https://improve81.vdot.virginia.gov/.
4. See FHWA Route Log and Finder List, supra note 2.
5. See id.
6. What is the I-81 Corridor Improvement Program?, supra note 3.
7. Virginia Traffic Volume, VDOT (2022), https://vdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=35e4c06de0f84a9c9f3fe18e67cd2c92.
8. 28 CFR § 658.17.
9. See 2024 Camry Full Specs, Toyota (2024), https://www.toyota.com/camry/2024/features/mpg_other_price/2532/2559/2546; 2024 Accord Sedan Features & Specs, Honda (2024), https://automobiles.honda.com/accord-sedan/specs-features-trim-comparison.
10. See FHWA Route Log and Finder List, supra note 2.
11. See id.
12. See Hampton Roads Bridges and Tunnels, VDOT (2024), https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/about/our-system/bridges-tunnels/hr-bridges-tunnels/.
13. Id.
14. See FHWA Route Log and Finder List, supra note 2.
15. See id.
16. Melissa A. Winn, Handling the Worst Crash Ever in Virginia, U.S. Dep't Transp. (May/June 2001), https://highways.dot.gov/public-roads/mayjune-2001/handling-worst-crash-ever-virginia.
17. See Virginia Traffic Volume, supra note 7.
18. See FHWA Route Log and Finder List, supra note 2.
19. See id.
20. Steven Nelson, 3 Dead After 95-Car Pileup in Virginia (April 1, 2013), https://www.usnews.com/news/newsgram/articles/2013/04/01/three-dead-after-95-car-pileup-in-virginia.
21. Id.
22. See Virginia Traffic Volume, supra note 7.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.