CHARLOTTE, N.C. — State troopers are looking for the driver of a dump truck after leaving the scene of a crash on I-85 in west Charlotte Wednesday morning.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the first crash happened just before the Brookshire Freeway exit on I-85 south around 7:30 a.m. Troopers said a woman driving a Toyota Corolla, who is an employee of the Rowan County Sheriff's Office, was driving southbound when she was sideswiped by a red dump truck. The woman pulled over on the left shoulder and the dump truck also stopped.
Shortly after the woman stopped, her Corolla was rear-ended by a pickup truck driving in the left lane of I-85 south. Troopers said the driver of the truck was driving about 60 mph when they crashed into the parked Corolla. The driver of that truck was charged with reckless driving and failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision.
The woman was rushed to a Charlotte hospital with life-threatening conditions and is in ICU, according to the Rowan County Sheriff's Office. The driver of the red dump truck drove away after the second crash. Troopers are searching for the driver of that truck to piece together what happened in both crashes.
The Rowan County Sheriff's Office said one of their employees at the jail was going home after getting off work at 6 a.m. when they pulled off the side of I-85 and their vehicle was hit by a tractor-trailer. The sheriff's office said the employee, who has not been identified, was taken to a hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Medic has not provided an update on how many people were injured or the extent of their injuries at this time.
I-85 reopened around 10 a.m. For the latest breaking news and traffic alerts, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app.