Hurricane Helene made its way through western North Carolina in late September as a tropical storm. Its torrential rains caused landslides on sections of I-40, including a massive crater near Pigeon River.
Despite authority-installed barricades, one driver ended up on the wrong side of the road and 100 feet down a slippery, water-filled embankment.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol informed a local news station this afternoon that the driver died as a result of her injuries.
Yesterday, the Junaluska Fire Department, which is a volunteer group in the area, wrote about the event on their Facebook page.
A little after 8 p.m. on November 9, Haywood County got a 911 call about a car accident on Iowa 40. A lot of different types of first responders showed up.
The car went down the edge of the crater about 100 feet and landed on its side. Responders thought a rope rescue would work best because the rescue was “complex.”
Crews used ropes to get to the wrecked car. One person was in the car, so they took them out and took them to an ambulance that was waiting.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol looked into how the driver got around the barriers that were put up after Hurricane Helene. The fire chief of Junaluska said the driver was in the wrong lane on I-40 and did not seem to try to stop.
On its social media pages, the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office told drivers to pay attention to signs and roadblocks. “Barricades are there to keep you safe and keep cars away from dangers.
” Ignoring them could cause serious harm or accidents. This is a very dangerous situation that puts both the drivers and the first responders at risk.