A terrible, multi-vehicle wreck occurred on Interstate 77 (I-77) which resulted in one loss of life and multiple injuries. The crash involed three big rigs, two cars and a motorcycle.
The pile-up began when a tractor trailer slammed on its brakes when approaching slowed vehicles on I-77. The traffic appears to have occurred as a result of dense fog on Fancy Gap Mountain. As the first tractor trailer came to an abrupt stop, it was rear-ended by another tractor trailer. This collision led to the first tractor trailer jackknifing across all of the northbound lanes on I-77.
The mayhem continued when a third tractor trailer crashed into the first tractor trailer. After that, a 2006 Suzuki motorcycle hit the jackknifed tractor trailer, according to ABC 13 News. Following that wreck, a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser clipped the jackknifed tractor trailer and slammed into a median on the interstate.
Unfortunately, the carnage continued and resulted in a loss of life when a 2008 Chevy Blazer crashed into the jackknifed tractor trailer. This collision killed the driver of the Blazer. The victim was named Dan. H. Grubb (named in the ABC 13 News article, 09-21-13). Mr. Grubb was not the only person in the vehicle. His wife and a passenger were in the Blazer and had to be taken to North Carolina Baptist Hospital for treatment of potentially life-threatening injuries.
Our deepest condolences go out to the Grubb family. Not only are they grappling with the loss of Dan Grubb, but are dealing with the serious injuries inflicted on Mrs. Grubb.
Some people may point to the dense fog as the culprit of this horrific accident but the facts indicate that the operators of the tractor trailers which set off this chain reaction wreck should have exercised more caution in operating their large vehicles.
A commercial truck driver, when approaching a road that is covered in fog, should immediately reduce their speed since it takes more time for a large big rig to come to a stop. It does not appear that was done since the first big rig operator had to slam on his brakes when he approached the slowed traffic and the second tractor trailer appears to have been following too closely behind the first big rig.