Witness describes terrifying wrong-way crash on I-40 near Benson
BEHAVIOR WILL NOT BE TOLERATED
IN DCPS AND
OUR COMMUNITY.
>> INVESTIGATORS SAY A
WRONG-WAY DRIVER CAUSED A
CHAIN-REACTION CRASH AND
MASSIVE BACKUPS ON I-40.
IT HAPPENED NEAR HIGHWAY TO 10
IN A BUSY WORK ZONE. THAT WAS
ALSO THE SITE OF ANOTHER
WRONG-WAY CRASH THAT HAPPENED
BACK IN MARCH. WRAL'S LESLIE
MORENO JOINS US LIVE IN
JOHNSTON COUNTY AFTER SPEAKING
TO A MAN WHO WITNESSED THE SAW
WESLEY.
>> ALINA DRIVERS WERE REROUTED,
HAS ALL LANES WERE BACKED UP IN
CLOSED HERE ON I-40 FOR SEVERAL
HOURS EARLIER TODAY. THAT MAN I
SPOKE WITH SAYS IT ALL HAPPENED
SO FAST. HE BARELY HAD TIME
TO REACT.
>> STEVEN WHITLEY WAS HEADING
TO WORK JUST AFTER 03:00PM.
I NOTICE ALL THESE VEHICLES
THAT WERE PULLING OVER TO THE
LEFT AND THE RIGHT AND KIND
OF TOOK ME OFF-GUARD.
OFFICIALS SAY WRONG-WAY DRIVER
CAME OFF THE 3.19 EXIT HEADING
EAST AND WESTBOUND LANES OF
I-40 AND COLLIDED WITH 5 OR
6 OTHER VEHICLES ARE WRAL.
SKY 5 FLEW OVER THE SCENE AS
TRAFFIC WAS BACKED UP FOR
SEVERAL MILES.
>> WHITLEY SAYS WAS A GREAT,
MANY SUV AS SOON AS HE PASS
ME, I IMMEDIATELY WAS THINKING,
MAN, I'M LIKE HE'S GOING TO
HIT SOMEONE. 3 PEOPLE WERE
TRANSPORTED WITH
NON-LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES.
THE SAME STRETCH OF HIGHWAY
WHERE 3 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN A
FIERY WRONG-WAY CRASH ON
INTERSTATE 40 BACK IN MARCH.
WHITLEY WAS ONE OF THE MANY
DODGING THE MINI SUV. OTHERS
WEREN'T SO LUCKY. I DID NOTICE
A LOT OF THE CARS THAT WERE
PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE.
>> HAD SOME DAMAGE ON 1 ONE
CARS, SPECIFICALLY. THEY HAD
THE WHOLE FRONT END.
>> NO WORD YET ON HOW EXACTLY
THAT DRIVER ENDED UP IN THE
WRONG LANE. AS OF NOW, THAT
INCIDENT IS STILL UNDER
INVESTIGATION. WE KNOW.