A tire blowout on Interstate 81 in Wythe County turned deadly last Thursday evening when a northbound truck veered into the median, crossed both southbound lanes, flipped, and plunged over an embankment, killing its driver. Bruce A. Layman, 60, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Virginia State Police said the crash happened at 7:33 p.m. on October 29 near mile marker 68 on I-81, according to pcpatriot.com. Investigators said Layman was driving a 2000 GMC C7 truck north when one of its tires blew out, sending the vehicle off the roadway and into the median. As reported by WDBJ7, the tire failure set off the chain of events that followed.
From there, the truck crossed the southbound lanes of I-81 and overturned. It also struck a guardrail before going over the embankment, per the same pcpatriot.com account. Police said Layman was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Driver Remembered as Part of Franklin County Family
Layman was from Wirtz, Virginia, in Franklin County. According to his obituary, posted on legacy.com, Layman was born to Wayne and Wylenia Bowman Layman on October 18, 1966, meaning his life ended just days past his 60th birthday.
A visitation for Layman is planned for Tuesday from 2 to 8 p.m., with a funeral set for Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Franklin Heights Church, the obituary states. The crash remains under investigation, and no additional findings on the cause beyond the reported tire blowout have been released.
Second Fatal Southwest Virginia Crash the Same Week
Layman's death came amid a string of fatal crashes across southwest Virginia. A separate wreck on Grayson County's Skyline Highway killed 34-year-old passenger Jasmine Benbow of Galax, according to 969wxbq.com. That crash also left the SUV driver, a juvenile passenger, and the driver of a tractor-trailer involved in the collision needing medical attention, the outlet reported.
