What to know first. Crashes on I-264, I-64 and the region’s bridge-tunnels often involve several vehicles and a Virginia State Police report.
The routes
I-264 is the interstate that links the Virginia Beach Oceanfront with Norfolk and Portsmouth. I-64 is the main east-west interstate through Norfolk and toward the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel carries traffic from the Virginia Beach area toward the Eastern Shore. These are limited-access roads with tunnels, bridges, merges and sudden backups. A crash in a tunnel or on a bridge can block both directions, and the vehicles behind may have little time to stop.
Work zones, lane shifts and toll plazas add another layer. A driver who knows the morning pattern on I-264 can still be hit by someone who does not. The legal rules are the same as on a city street. The proof is often harder, because the scene is cleared to reopen the road, and witnesses are already in other cars heading to work or to the beach.
Typical crashes
Backups at tunnel approaches cause rear-end chains. A first impact is followed by two or three more as drivers come over a crest or out of a curve and find stopped traffic. Lane changes near interchanges and in work zones cause sideswipes. A disabled vehicle, a lost load or a sudden brake for a merge can start the whole sequence. In a chain, each insurer will try to isolate “its” impact and push fault toward someone else.
Fault fights
With contributory negligence, each driver’s insurer looks for any mistake by the others. A claim that would be a simple rear-end case in another state can fall apart in Virginia if someone can show you were following too closely, changing lanes or looking at a phone. Dashcam footage is especially useful on these roads, along with a consistent memory of which lane you were in, how fast traffic had been moving and how much time you had to react. If you have a dashcam, save the file before the loop overwrites it. If a nearby vehicle had a camera, get that plate number and ask the police to note it.
Do not try to reconstruct the whole chain in a long interview with an adjuster in the first days. Stick to what you personally saw. The crash report will list units and a narrative, but it does not bind a court. Photographs of damage, resting positions if you can take them safely, and later repair estimates help sort out who hit whom.
Reports and which agency worked the scene
Crashes on interstates and at the major bridge-tunnels are often worked by Virginia State Police. City police may handle a wreck that starts on a city street and spills toward a ramp. The name on the officer’s card is the name you use when you order the report. State police reports, like Virginia Beach Police reports, are requested through the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles for $8. The steps are in the crash report guide.
If a state vehicle or a state-maintained facility is in the wreck, a written notice can come due within one year under the Virginia Tort Claims Act. That is a different path from a claim against a private driver. See claims against public bodies.
What to do at a tunnel or interstate scene
If you can move out of a live lane, do that and turn on your flashers. If you cannot move, stay in the vehicle if it is safer than standing on a narrow shoulder. Call 911. Exchange information when it is safe to do so, and photograph plates, damage and any overhead signs that show where you are, because “just inside the tunnel” is hard to pin down later. Then get medical care, even if the crash felt like a low-speed bump. Multi-car impacts can still cause neck, back and head injuries that show up the next day.
Insurance in a multi-car wreck
A chain on I-264 or at a tunnel mouth can involve several liability policies, plus your own UM or UIM coverage if a driver is uninsured, underinsured or never identified. Virginia’s minimum liability limits, even after the 2025 increase, can be used up quickly when several people are hurt. Ask your own insurer about med pay and UM as soon as you report the wreck. Do not assume the first driver in line is the only one who has to pay, and do not assume the last driver is the only one at fault.
If a tractor-trailer was in the chain, read the truck crash guide as well. Commercial coverage and electronic logging data can matter, and that data should be preserved early.
Questions people ask
Can I sue more than one driver? Yes, if more than one contributed. In a chain, more than one impact may have caused your injuries, and more than one policy may be in play.
What about a disabled vehicle in the tunnel? Its owner, or in some situations a towing or maintenance company, may share responsibility, depending on the facts. That is a fact-specific question, not an automatic rule.
What if I cannot tell which car hit me first? Say so. Guessing can create a fault problem under Virginia’s contributory negligence rule. Photos, the report and, if needed, a later reconstruction of the sequence can sort out who hit whom.
Keep reading with truck crashes and crash reports.