A three-vehicle crash occurred on the southbound lane of Interstate 81 at mile marker 158 in Botetourt County at 5:18 a.m. last Wednesday when the driver of a 2002 Dodge Ram pickup truck struck an illegally parked 2017 Freightliner tractor-trailer, which was parked on the right shoulder of the roadway.
The pickup truck came to a rest in the roadway and was struck by a 2018 Freightliner tractor-trailer, which was also traveling south.
The driver of the pickup truck, 30-year-old Lexington resident Michael Lenden Kreul, was transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where he later died.
The interstate was blocked at the location until the vehicles were removed. A detour was set up by the Virginia Department of Transportation at the 162 exit.
The Virginia State Police said that the crash is under investigation.
