By Shelley Smith
ssmith@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — A China Grove woman was flown to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte after she lost control of her car and drove under an 18-wheeler. The rear tandems of the trailer ran over the driver’s side door, and then completely detached from the trailer.
Robin Michelle Hayes, 34, of China Grove, was airlifted and her condition was unavailable Thursday night.
The accident happened shortly after 3 p.m.
N.C. State Trooper C.J. Doty has been unable to speak to Hayes, but did talk to several witnesses on scene.
According to Doty and the witnesses, Hayes was in the right-hand southbound lane of exit 68 and ran off the shoulder. A witness told Doty the car jerked to the left and drove under the 18-wheeler. The rear tandems of the trailer went right over her, and the impact sent her back into the exit ramp, Doty said.
The driver of the tractor-trailer truck, Gabriel Medina, 42 and of Texas, was able to keep control of the truck and trailer, moving to the shoulder of I-85. The trailer drug for about a quarter of a mile, and left nearly 1-inch indentions in the road.
Hayes’ legs were pinned underneath the dash of her four-door Oldsmobile Aurora. Emergency responders had to cut the driver’s side door off, the roof of the car, and cut the dash in half to get Hayes out of the car and to the hospital.
Hayes was talking to responders at the scene, but was in a lot of pain, Doty said. Her injuries are unknown.
Exit 68 was reopened around 6 p.m.
Responders included Bostian Heights Fire Department, Rowan EMS, Rowan Rescue, CMC AirCare, N.C. DOT and the Highway Patrol.