WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – UPDATE
Virginia State Police is releasing more details about a crash in Wythe County that left two people dead.
Authorities say it happened on June 8 at about 8:10 p.m. on I-81 at the 73 mile marker.
We’re told 38-year-old Brittney L. Connatser, of Rural Retreat, was driving south in a 2018 Ford Fiesta and ran off the right side of the interstate. She overcorrected, ran off the left side of I-81 and crossed through the median, going into the northbound lanes.
Authorities say she then hit a tractor-trailer and a 2007 Honda GL 1899 motorcycle that were driving in the northbound lanes.
Unfortunately, Connatser died at the scene. She was not wearing a seat belt, authorities said. A 44-year-old male passenger was also transported to the hospital for serious injuries. No word yet on his condition.
The person operating the motorcycle, 56-year-old Ivan I. Kononchuk, of Tucker Georgia, was also transported to a nearby hospital for serious injuries.
The passenger on the motorcycle, 48-year-old Oksana P. Shore, also of Tucker, Georgia, did not make it, according to Virginia State Police. Both individuals were wearing helmets.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, a 51-year-old man from Texas, was not hurt in the crash and was wearing a seat belt.
The crash remains under investigation.
UPDATE
This crash has been cleared, according to VDOT.
ORIGINAL STORY
Drivers heading north on I-81 through Wythe County can expect delays, according to VDOT.
Crews say the crash happened at mile marker 73.6
As of 11:01 p.m., the north left shoulder, left lane, and center lane are closed. Traffic backups are around one-and-a-half miles.
Stay with 10 News as this story develops