North Carolina police say that a truck driver lost control and crashed into a bridge yesterday because the he fell asleep, causing a fiery crash that killed both the driver and his passenger.
Truck Crashes Into Bridge On I-85
The crash happened around 4:30 a.m. yesterday on I-85 near Sugar Creek Road in Charlotte. Twenty two year old Christopher Dyer was hauling cotton bales when troopers say that he fell asleep and crashed into a bridge near the North Tryton exit, causing the truck to catch fire.
Truck Driver And Passenger Succumb To Injuries
Rescue crews were able to get Dyer and his passenger, 45 year old Rodney Watson, out of the truck. Both were transported to the hospital. Watson died of his injuries around 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Dyer passed away this morning.
Traffic was backed up for about 14 hours as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze.
Troopers Blame Driver Fatigue For Crash
Investigators are still working to determine how long Dyer had been driving and whether he had violated hours of service regulations. They are also examining the truck to try to determine if anything other than fatigue is to blame for the crash.
A better look at the truck AX which caused a massive backup on NB I85. #wcnc pic.twitter.com/WpREC1QJye
— Richard DeVayne (@rdevaynewcnc) April 6, 2016
Sources:
TWC News
WYFF 4
WCNC
WCCB