Two long-haul truckers died Thursday night after a sudden car crash turned a stretch of Interstate 81 into a wall of fire. The wreck happened around 8:10 p.m. near Exit 310 in Frederick County, Virginia.
Russell R. Haskins, 64, of Altavista, Virginia, was driving his tractor-trailer along the highway like he had done thousands of times before. He was just doing his job, carrying freight down the road toward his next stop.
Heading in the opposite direction was Jeffrey J. Hudnell, 52, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hudnell was hauling a load of compressed oxygen tanks in his rig. Neither driver had any warning about what was coming across the median.
State police said a passenger car entered southbound I-81 from the ramp near Exit 310. The driver failed to yield to traffic. Instead of staying in the right lane, the car cut sharply across two full lanes of interstate traffic.
The car slammed directly into a tractor-trailer. The heavy impact threw the rig out of control. It plowed through the center median, crossed over into northbound traffic, and hit Hudnell’s truck head-on.
The crash ruptured the tanks on Hudnell’s truck. A violent fire erupted instantly, setting off a chain of loud explosions that shook the highway. The flames spread fast, setting fire to a nearby Frederick County Sheriff’s Office vehicle. The deputy inside managed to get out without injury.
Haskins died right at the scene from the force of the collision. Medics rushed Hudnell to a local hospital with severe injuries, but doctors could not save him. Both men lost their lives in a matter of seconds.
The driver of the car, Mario A. Saldivar-Romaro of Rockingham, walked away from the crash without any injuries. State police charged him with reckless driving. Prosecutors are currently reviewing the case to decide if he will face more charges.
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