According to Virginia State Police, one woman was killed in a fatal three-car accident in Pulaski County at one in the afternoon on Thursday, October 18, 2012.
Local officials say that a commercial tractor-trailer driven by 45-year-old Manrajbir Singh Kang of Ashburn, Virginia, caused the accident as he was driving southbound on Interstate 81. When the trucker approached slowing traffic on the interstate, he was not able to stop his vehicle in time. He swerved his big-rig out of his lane and rear-ended a sedan. The 18-wheeler flipped onto its side after striking the car. In turn, the sedan struck a tractor-trailer stopped in front of it.
The driver of the sedan, 47-year-old Sharon Tate, was killed in the Virginia truck accident, while the two truck drivers also involved in the collision did not suffer serious injuries. Tate was pulled from her vehicle by emergency workers but was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The truck driver was charged by state police with reckless driving.
One southbound lane of I-81 was closed for several hours on Thursday afternoon as clean-up crews unloaded and towed the wrecked tractor-trailer, which was filled with frozen chicken.
The State Police Accident Reconstruction Team and the State Police Motor Carrier Safety Team reported to the truck accident scene to collect evidence and interview witnesses. The big-rig crash is under investigation.
Far too many truck accidents are caused by drivers who are unable to slow their rigs for stopped traffic. The Virginia truck accident attorneys at Shapiro & Appleton& Duffan send their deepest condolences to Sharon Tate’s friends, family, and loved ones.