Three men from Northern Virginia were killed, and a fourth man was seriously hurt, in a crash with a tractor-trailer Tuesday evening, Virginia State Police said.
The crash happened in far Southwest Virginia, on Interstate 81 in Washington County. The tractor-trailer had a flat tire and pulled onto the right shoulder. As the truck driver and passenger were walking back to the cab of the truck, a Toyota ran off the left side of the highway.
The Toyota overcorrected and slid sideways into the rear of the truck.
The Toyota’s driver, Abenezer D. Thewdros, 19, of Arlington, and two male passengers, Abel N. Ayele, 19, of Arlington, and Alemu S. Ameha, 25, of Alexandria, died at the scene.
Another passenger, Arketsadik Yilma, 19, of Alexandria, was flown to Bristol Regional Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries.
The truck driver and passenger were not hurt.
State police say alcohol does not appear to have been a factor in the crash, which closed that section of I-81 for about three hours.
