Police are still working to figure out who the man is that jumped off a bridge and onto Interstate 581 in Roanoke on Thursday morning.
Several witnesses told Virginia State Police that a man was sitting on a bridge on Hershberger Road. Police say the man was dangling his feet. At 6:47 a.m., police got the call that four cars hit a pedestrian. A lot of these people thought they had hit a deer.
All indications are that the man jumped from the bridge.
“Normally people don't sit on the top of a bridge with their legs extended over,” Virginia State Police spokesperson Bob Carpentieri said.
Interstate 581 South at Hershberger Road all the way to I-81 was shut down in the middle of heavy morning traffic.
Drivers had to be detoured for several hours.
All roads are open now but investigators are still trying to figure out who this man is. Investigators say he had an out-of-state ID on him.
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Interstate 581 in Roanoke is back open following an apparent suicide on the interstate Thursday morning.
Virginia State Police say that it appears the man who died is from out of state.
All indications at this point are that the man jumped off the Hershberger Road bridge that crosses over Interstate 581, and landed in the center lane of I-581.
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Virginia State Police say delays on Interstate 581 and I-81 could last a few more hours after a death on I-581 . Click here for traffic updates.
Investigators are treating the scene as a crime scene right now. However, indications are that the man jumped off the Hershberger Road overpass bridge, and into traffic on Interstate 581.
Virginia State Police did not rule out that it the man's death could be an accident but "Normally people don’t sit on the top of a bridge with their legs extended over," Virginia State Police spokesperson Bob Carpentieri said.
Carpentieri said that the body was in the center lane of Interstate 581, and that it was struck by four cars.
Investigators are trying to determine the man's identity, and whether or not he was from the area.
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Roanoke Police say Interstate 581 headed south is closed between Interstate 81 and Hershberger Road because of a death on the highway. A person may have been hit by a car. No one in the car was hurt.
Drivers on I-81 who are looking to get to Roanoke from the Salem area must exit the interstate at Electric Road. Drivers coming from the Hollins area who are looking to get to Roanoke must exit at Plantation Road.
The Virginia Department of Transportation says drivers from Interstate 81 can not access Interstate 581. If that is what you are driving, VDOT recommends the following:
- Drivers on I-81 can get off Exit 146 (Hollins) to Plantation Road, then to Route 11 (Williamson Road), to Route 460 (Orange Ave). There is access to Interstate 581 from Orange Ave.
- Drivers on I-81 can also take Exit 141 (Salem), follow Route 419 (Electric Road) to the Route 220 Expressway in South Roanoke. To access I-581 from Exit 141, drivers can follow East Main Street to Melrose Avenue, then to Orange Avenue.
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Interstate 581 headed south is completely closed right now because of a possible wreck.
Traffic is getting off of the freeway at Peters Creek Road.
We have a crew on the scene right now and we're told there is a large presence of state patrol vehicles.
We'll let you know when traffic clears up.