I-40 west in Orange County (NC)

[TowNews]

Tow Truck Sideswiped after stooping for previous accident.

 

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) – A man was charged in connection with a string of crashed on Interstate 40 westbound that snarled traffic in Orange County Monday morning.

 

The first in the series of wrecks was a van rear-ending a tractor-trailer around 5:30 a.m. near exit 270. A tow truck driver stopped to possibly offer assistance. The truck was sideswiped by a Chevrolet SUV, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

 

Three other vehicles merged into the right lane to avoid the two crashes. Christopher Sload, 50, of Spring Hope, was driving a box truck for Bass Farms Sausage.

 

Sload failed to reduce his speed and rear-ended the merging vehicles, causing his box truck to overturn. He was arrested and charged with driving while impaired, reckless driving, and failure to reduce speed, the NCSHP said.

Four occupants, excluding Sload, were taken to UNC Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

 

The crashes caused both lanes of I-40 west to close around 6 a.m. It was reduced to one lane until around 7:40 a.m., NCSHP said.

 

NCSHP said the call came in at about 5:35 a.m.

 

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