DAVIDSON, N.C. — Troopers charged a tractor-trailer driver Tuesday morning after his big rig flipped on an Interstate 77 ramp in Davidson.
The driver is charged with failure to maintain lanes. He was distracted and then ran off of the I-77 ramp heading onto Griffith Street, according to troopers.
“He is advising that he bent down to pick something up while traveling down the roadway,” said Trooper Ray Pierce. "Once he realized he was off the road, he was unable to overcorrect, and when he tried to get control of the vehicle, the vehicle overturned."
Crews managed to upright the tractor-trailer around 1 p.m., which was 10 hours since it overturned. They had to get all the diesel fuel out of the truck and unload 36,000 pounds of antifreeze that the big rig was carrying.
Workers had to saw off pieces of the tractor-trailer in order to remove the antifreeze.
The tractor-trailer also crushed a white pickup truck that was parked on the ramp for construction.
Mary Mayhew said that every time she sees a crash along I-77 she worries, especially when it involves hazardous materials that puts others at risk.
“It could have really hurt somebody,” Mayhew said.
The Environmental Protection Agency was called to the scene since the tractor-trailer is leaking fuel and antifreeze.
The driver of the tractor-trailer told Channel 9 he was not hurt in the accident. He said he was on his way to Columbia, South Carolina from Michigan when his truck flipped over.
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