A fatal wreck occurred this morning in north Rowan County which caused two of four lanes on southbound Interstate 85 to close. The wreck happened at about 1:40 a.m. on the bridge over McCanless Road near exit 77. According to N.C. Highway Patrol, a UPS tractor-trailer slammed into the bridge sending the two trailer units over the bridge and onto a road below. The driver of the UPS truck, who had been an employee of the company for over 20 years, was ejected during the accident and died from injuries.
According to N.C. Highway Patrol, the driver of the double-trailer truck apparently lost control of the vehicle which caused him to hit the guardrail on the bridge in the left lane. However, the accident is still under investigation. Troopers also reported that one of the trailers sailed over the bridge, and another landed atop the railing. Luckily, no other vehicles were involved in the accident.
All southbound I-85 lanes were closed at exit 79 (High Rock Lake/East Spencer) until about 8 a.m. this morning when N.C. Highway Patrol was able to reopen two lanes. McCanless Road was also closed, and it will most likely remain that way for much of the day. This closure will likely affect school bus routes, according to the Rowan-Salisbury Schools.
