Woman hit and killed by tractor trailer on I-81 in Shenandoah County

A Georgia woman is dead after she was struck by a tractor trailer on Interstate 81 in the Shenandoah Valley this past weekend.

According to Virginia State Police, early Saturday morning, around 1:20 a.m., a 2006 GMC SUV heading south on Interstate 81 pulled over on the shoulder at mile marker 265.9 in Shenandoah County.

This is just north of New Market.

Inside the vehicle, the driver, Wayne Emmanuel Fields, a 59-year-old man from Hephzipah, Georgia, and his passenger, Tamika Sheree Smith, a 27-year-old Allenwood, Georgia woman, had been in a disagreement, which led to the stopping of the vehicle.

Both people got out of the SUV, and police say the passenger, Smith, ended up in the right lane of the interstate, where she was hit by a 2010 Volvo tractor trailer, killing her immediately at the scene.

She had two children – an 8-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son – who were both in the SUV at the time she was hit and killed.

As a result, the driver, Wayne Fields, was charged with two felony counts of child endangerment.

Police say investigation into factors behind the incident continues, but no charges will be placed for the tractor trailer driver.

Trooper Evans is investigating the crash for Virginia State Police. Responding to the scene on April 7 were the Virginia Department of Transportation, Mount Jackson Fire and Rescue, Mount Jackson Police, the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office, the VSP Motorcarrier Safety Team, and the VSP Crash Reconstruction Team.