SHELBY, N.C. — Police say a 40-year-old Lawndale man fell asleep before his car ran off the road and slammed into a tree Wednesday afternoon.
The wreck happened on South Lafayette Street, near the Farm Road/Melrose Drive intersection, around 12:18 p.m.
Shelby Police Officer L.E. Farris said the man admitted to taking prescription painkillers before falling asleep. Police cars and a Shelby Fire and Rescue truck blocked the south lane. A tree branch lay behind the car.
Farris said Dennis Towery, the driver, was charged with driving while impaired.
Towery was taken to Cleveland Regional Medical Center. Farris said Towery didn’t appear to have serious injuries.