Deadly Crash on Interstate

By Patrick Lightheart

Interstate 790 was closed down in both directions at 6:45 a.m. after two semis collided in the northbound lanes and caused an 18 vehicle pile-up injuring 20 and killing two. According to Sgt. Albert Wei first responders said it looked like a scene out of a war movie. Many of the people were outside their cars lying on the ground covered in blood. Others were trapped in their cars and would need to be extricated before they could be treated.

The fire department dispatched all five of its ambulances with more ambulances being dispatched from four nearby cities to assist with the injured. The two people who sustained the worst injuries were transported by a “Life Flight” helicopter to a trauma center 50 miles away in Statesville. The rest of the injured people, four severely injured, were transported to the nearest hospital by ambulance.

The two fatalities were in the vehicle that collided with a semi-tanker hauling diesel fuel. The driver managed to pull his truck to the side of the road safely with no damage to the tanker. Firefighters had to cut the roofs off of three vehicles to free their passengers.

Traffic was rerouted to Interstate 690 creating long delays during the morning rush hour. The investigation is ongoing due to the complexity of the accident scene. With so many cars and so many injured they are still trying to sort out who was in what car, and who was driving.