Woman killed in U.S. 321 chain-reaction crash

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A woman was killed in a Dallas crash while her two young daughters were in the pickup truck Thursday night.

The wreck, which involved two passenger vehicles and a tractor-trailer, happened on U.S. 321 northbound near Hardin Road shortly before 9:30 p.m.

Troopers said the woman who died ran into the back of a Suburban pulling a lawn care tractor near the exit 17 sign. They said after that crash, the driver of an 18-wheeler plowed into both vehicles.

The tractor-trailer then landed in a ravine.

The Gaston Gazette reports that the woman who died was 27-year-old Ashley Watson of Lenoir.Watson's daughters were not injured, but three others were taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

All northbound lanes of U.S. 321 near the crash were closed until about 5 a.m. One truck driver told Eyewitness News he was stranded during the investigation.

"I've been here about five and a half hours now," said truck driver Dennis Williams.

The Highway Patrol has not said who is responsible for the crash.

WSOC