Tropical Storm Helene flooded away multiple stretches of Interstate 40, but one motorist bypassed a roadblock to try it anyhow, according to North Carolina investigators.
The driver, a woman, died as a result of injuries sustained when her SUV reached a location where the roads had disappeared and plunged into the gorge below, according to the Junaluska Fire Department.
It occurred around 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, near the Tennessee state line, and photographs released by the fire department reveal the vehicle “drove off Interstate 40 from a large hole in the roadway.”
The tumble left the truck hanging on the edge of the hazardous Pigeon River.
“Crews found the vehicle with a single occupant on its passenger side an estimated distance of 100 feet from the roadway,” the volunteer fire department reported in a news statement.
North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers rescued the driver, and teams of first responders collaborated with the Junaluska Fire Department to establish a rope system to “bring the driver to an awaiting ambulance,” according to officials.
According to WLOS, the motorist was heading in the wrong direction at the time of the incident, and there was no evidence that she attempted to apply brakes.
Her identify hasn’t been revealed.
According to officials, units responding to the incident included Grassy Fork Fire and Rescue, Cocke County Swiftwater Rescue, and Haywood EMS.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the accident. According to fire officials, the car drove around “the large orange and white ‘Road Closed’ signage and concrete barriers” until running out of pavement near mile marker 3.5.
That portion of the road has been blocked since late September due to flooding caused by Tropical Storm Helene, which “washed away the interstate’s eastbound lanes in four long swaths,” according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Photos indicate that the missing portions tower over the boulder-filled Pigeon River.
According to officials, a temporary repair for one interstate lane in both directions should be in place by New Year’s Day.