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Man survives crash

By JUSTIN HARMON/Staff

Whitetop resident Bryan Hayes may be one of the luckiest people on the planet.
On Monday, Hayes ran his Dodge Durango under the rear end of a tractor-trailer rig on Interstate 81. The rig then dragged him, in his car, about a hundred yards, according to witnesses. Next he spent an hour trapped in the wreck while lifesaving crews cut him out. Free, he was flown to Bristol Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Treatment of his minor injuries. That’s right, Hayes walked away from the day with only minor injuries.
Nursing staff at the hospital said Hayes was treated for his injuries and released the same day.
At first, it didn’t look like he would be walking away from it.
When Saltville resident Andrew Bresnock saw Hayes’ vehicle run up under the tractor-trailer Monday near Exit 19, he was expecting it to be fatal.
“I’ve been in accidents before. That’s what it looked like,” he said. “When I saw the windshield like it was, I thought that it had to be serious.”
Bresnock pulled off to the side of the road and called 911 immediately. He said he didn’t keep driving because he didn’t want to see someone die when there was at least a little something he could do to help.
Bresnock said he saw a white car in front of the tractor-trailer slam on its brakes to allow vehicles on the onramp to merge into the northbound lane of I-81, causing the huge vehicle to do the same. Hayes wasn’t able to slow down fast enough.
The tractor-trailer, according to Bresnock, had slowed to a crawl when Hayes’ vehicle slid under the rear end of the trailer, tearing the crash bar off the back of the truck and pinning the SUV. From there, Bresnock said the tractor-trailer dragged the Durango for a short distance before stopping.
Abingdon Fire Department Chief Joey Burke said three hydraulic cutting units (more commonly known as the “Jaws of Life”) on the scene cut Hayes out of the vehicle.
Virginia State Police Trooper John Nixon said it’s not often the crash bar on the back of trailers gives way and it’s usually only during a serious crash. Even so, Hayes was awake and alert when rescue vehicles arrived on the scene.
“He was talking when I got here,” said Nixon.
Though the driver of the white car didn’t stop and their identity isn’t know, Nixon said there are charges pending against them. The charge, Nixon said, would be improper stopping.
Justin Harmon can be reached at 628-7101 or Debra McCown contributed to this story. McCown writes for the Bristol Herald Courier