CHINA GROVE – An R&L Carriers tractor-trailer plowed into the guard rail on
Interstate 85, under the Bringle Ferry Road overpass, about 4:30 this morning, completely
blocking northbound traffic. The truck had just left the terminal of Greenwood Motor Lines in China
Grove. According to a dispatcher there, the driver was slightly injured.
The truck is an International
truck with Ohio tags.
The right front wheels of the
truck tore down about 60 feet of guard rail and then buckled under the cab, which was
apparently not seriously damaged, although oil covered much of area.
The trailer ruptured, spilling an
assortment of cargo, including paper goods and an air compressor.
While the interstate was blocked,
the N.C. Highway Patrol rerouted traffic through Salisbury, producing a steady stream of
tractor-trailers downtown. By about 6 a.m., one northbound lane on I-85 was open, but
troopers stopped northbound traffic again about 7 a.m. to bring in three wreckers.
R&L Carriers backed another
truck onto the scene of the accident and shoveled debris into it to help clear the
highway.
While work continued late this
morning, representatives of Greenwood Motor Lines and the Highway Patrol were still
working at the scene and not available for comment. |
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