GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A truck driver is facing charges in connection with a crash on Interstate 85 in Gaston County that seriously injured a father and two of his children early Thursday morning, police said.
The crash happened on the southbound side of I-85 near mile-marker 27 in Belmont at approximately 4 a.m. Belmont police allege the driver of a tractor-trailer did not have the truck's hazard lights on when it was parked on the road.
A Honda minivan crashed into the truck at highway speed, trapping the father and his two children, ages 11 and 13, inside the vehicle. The collision wedged the minivan underneath the bed of the trailer, requiring firefighters to extricate all three people before they were rushed to the hospital.
The father and one of his children were rushed to Atrium Health's Carolinas Medical Center with serious injuries. The other child was first taken to CaroMont Regional Medical Center before being transferred to Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte with serious injuries. The child that was taken to Levine Children's Hospital wasn't wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. police said.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, identified as 39-year-old Mohammed Saeed Ali, was charged with impeding the flow of traffic, failure to display warning devices and improper parking. The driver of the minivan hasn't been charged at this time.
Anyone with information about this crash is asked to call Belmont Police at 704-825-3792.
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