Highway 321 reopens in Caldwell Co. after truck overturns, spills asphalt

CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. — Part of U.S. Highway 321 was closed Monday afternoon in Caldwell County after a truck overturned and spilled 16 tons of asphalt in the roadway.

Officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation said the crash happened around 12:30 p.m. near Lenoir and shut down the highway for hours near Richland Road.

Channel 9 was told that the driver of the truck was helping with a paving project aimed at widening lanes in Blowing Rock.

Eyewitnesses said the driver lost control of the truck’s breaks for a stretch of about 5 miles before crashing into a guardrail and overturning.

Firefighters and other first responders said they spent 45 minutes cutting the roof off the truck to free the driver, and workers said they could hear him radioing for help after losing control of his brakes.

"He hollered on the radio at the top of the mountainside that his brakes were not working good,” driver Steven Teague said. “Losing my brakes one time with that much weight? No, I don't want to imagine it. I really don't."

Channel 9 reporter Dave Faherty saw Department of Transportation crews trying to scrape the new asphalt off the road.

The driver, who was talking after the crash, injured his legs during the accident, but is expected to be alright. Two state troopers were less than a mile away when it happened.

"His brakes had gone out on him, and he radioed to another driver behind him,” Trooper Chris Bentley said. “And that other driver was actually trying to catch up with him to see what was going on, but when he came around the curve, his speed just increased."

The road reopened around 2:30 p.m., officials said, and no other vehicles were involved in the incident.

NCSHP officials said their Motor Carrier Division will investigate this crash.

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