RALEIGH, N.C. (KHN) – From the Sandhills to the eastern reaches of the CBS 17 viewing region, numerous wrecks have been reported on main and secondary highways. In Orange County, officials say one person was killed in a crash involving 53 vehicles on Interstate 40 West around the 259-mile marker.
According to the NCSHP, two separate collisions on I-40 and I-85 forced traffic to halt and back up on I-40. Multiple vehicles struck the halted traffic from behind, resulting in a total of 12 crashes in the vicinity.
According to troopers, the fatal incident occurred when a tractor-trailer struck another car from behind. The fatal disaster blocked I-40, and at least three more multi-vehicle collisions occurred behind it.
Jerolyn Day Wilson, 78, of Burlington, was identified as the dead by the NCSHP.
Troopers identified the tractor-trailer driver as William Crowell Kellam, 44, of Spartanburg, South Carolina. He was detained and charged with misdemeanor death by car and exceeding a safe speed for the circumstances. Kellam received a written agreement to appear in court.
According to the Orange Rural Fire Department, several other people were injured but not seriously.
The NCSHP and local agencies have been out all day and night reacting to overturned tractor-trailers and a slew of automobiles that lost control on slick roads, which are now dark and temperatures are dropping even more.
According to Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood, “No matter how well your vehicle performs or how fantastic of a winter-weather driver you are, the obstacles are many and the risks are high.”
Just in the capital city, the Raleigh Police Department responded to 45 crashes before 4:30 p.m., one of which involved a police cruiser. Earlier Wednesday, around noon, a tractor-trailer hauling lumber crashed, closing all southbound lanes of I-95 in Selma.
Another I-95 incident just before 5 p.m. stopped two of the four southbound lanes at exit 61 in Cumberland County.
State troopers on the scene informed CBS 17 that a woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after “spinning out of control” on the ice. As this happened, a tractor-trailer behind the woman collided with her car.
According to police, the incident also led a second 18-wheeler to collide with the automobile. Another wreck that a CBS 17 crew witnessed earlier in the day involved two drivers striking head-on on Atlantic Avenue in Raleigh at about 3 p.m.
Following the crash, many fire trucks and Raleigh police cruisers came to the snowy scene on Millbrook Road. According to police, a vehicle crossed into the oncoming lane and slipped out of control owing to the weather.
In this accident, one person was transferred to WakeMed Hospital with critical injuries. There is no word about further injuries. Durham police said they responded to a tractor-trailer crash on I-85 South near US 70 around 10:44 p.m.
According to Durham police, the tractor-trailer was heading from US 70 and exiting onto I-85 South when the driver skidded and hit a barrier, causing the vehicle to topple. The motorist was sent to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
According to police, the incident halted two right lanes on I-85 South. Governor Josh Stein and NCDOT officials have asked all North Carolinians to avoid driving unless necessary under the current severe conditions.
Sheriff Blackwood echoed the caution, stating, “Please stay at home if possible, drive slowly if necessary, and bring warm clothing. You’re probably going to be stuck on the side of the road for a while, and the wait for a tow truck will be considerable.”
Reference: 50-car pileup leaves 1 dead in Orange County, adding to hundreds of snow-related wrecks across NC