Wreck backs up traffic on I-85

By Ben McNeely | Media General

Published: January 8, 2009

Updated: 01/08/2009 05:24 pm

KANNAPOLIS - An afternoon wreck backed up northbound traffic on Interstate 85 when a tractor-trailer rear-ended an Oldsmobile.

Traffic near Exit 63 came to a standstill around 3:30 p.m. when the tractor-trailer ran into the back of Ronald Overcash's car, said Trooper E.K. Wooten.

No one was injured, he said, but the backend of Overcash's car was smashed and was leaking gas.
Highway Patrol closed down both northbound lanes of I-85 while hazmat crews foamed down the area just in case of contamination.

The truck, owned by Dedicated Transportation, was carrying a corrosive chemical, but investigators don't believe any spilled on the highway, Wooten said.

Investigators towed the tractor-trailer to the Pilot Truck Stop on Lane Street to inspect it for leaks.

The scene of the wreck is near the Rowan County line. Wooten said traffic at the time of the wreck slowed from 65 m.p.h. to about 20 m.p.h., when the tractor-trailer slid into the back of Overcash's car.
Both lanes of traffic were opened by about 4:45 p.m.

• Contact reporter Ben McNeely: 704-789-9131