MOORESVILLE, N.C. — A hit-and-run suspect has been charged following a crash that left parts of Interstate 77 closed in Iredell County for several hours overnight Saturday, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Around 8:10 p.m., Highway Patrol attempted to stop the driver of a tractor-trailer, the vehicle allegedly involved in multiple hit-and-run accidents beginning in Gaston County, troopers said. The driver refused to stop and a chase ensued on I-77 northbound.
Troopers attempted to use a tire deflation device to stop the trailer near mile marker 39, not far from West Plaza Drive. The tractor-trailer hit the deflation device but hit a sharp turn and collided with two patrol vehicles before overturning and blocking northbound lanes on I-77, officials said.
The troopers were outside and away from their patrol cars at the time of the collision, officials said. No troopers were injured during the incident.
I-77 remained closed until around 1 a.m. when the roadway was cleared, troopers said.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, 63-year-old Monte Keith Gore of Bainbridge, Pennsylvania, was taken to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem to be treated for his injuries.
Authorities charged Gore with driving while impaired, felony speeding to elude arrest, felonious assault with a deadly weapon, failing to heed light and siren, reckless driving, hit and run, possession of a controlled substance, and damage to state property.
The incident remains under investigation.
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