An Illinois truck driver was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident after investigators said he caused a chain-reaction crash that closed the southbound lanes of Interstate 77 for several hours Wednesday, said Trooper J.D. Postell of the N.C. Highway Patrol.
James T. Kruger of Streator, Ill., was cited in the crash, which involved a total of six vehicles, including one being towed by a U-Haul truck.
Postell said the U-Haul, a Honda Ridgeline pickup truck, a Nissan Maxima and Mercury Grand Marquis were all stopped due to an earlier crash at near the 31-mile marker.
Kruger told Postell that as he approached the area between the 36- and 37-mile markers, he reached down to put something into the trash can in his truck and looked up to see the stopped traffic.
“There was no evidence of braking,” Postell said.
The tractor-trailer hit a car being towed on the back of the U-Haul, and ran over the top of the car, hitting the back of the truck, Postell said. The truck was then pushed into the Nissan and then the Honda, he said. Those vehicles then collided with a Mercury Marquis.
The 18-wheeler and U-Haul were lodged together by the impact and continued onto into the median.
Two people, Charles Chambers Jr. of Pennsylvania and Kyeko Avong of Belmont, were transported via Iredell EMS to Lake Norman Regional Medical Center with minor injuries, Postell said.
Chambers and his son, Charles Chambers III, were in the U-Haul, with Chambers Jr. at the wheel. Avong was driving the Ridgeline. The Maxima was driven by Catherine Murray of Mooresville and she was accompanied by her husband, Kevin Murray. The Mercury was operated by Terry Seyller of Mooresville. His wife, Patricia Seyller, was a passenger in the Mercury.
Postell said the tractor-trailer was carrying water-based glue, some of which spilled into the median.
The crash completely closed both southbound lanes of I-77 between Exits 42 and 36 from around 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. One lane opened around 3 p.m. and the second lane opened about an hour later.
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