A 62-year-old woman from Southern Pines died after driving around several road barricades on a closed portion of Interstate 40 in Haywood County on Saturday around 8 p.m., according to the State Highway Patrol. The woman then made a wrong turn and started driving west in the eastbound lanes.
According to the Junaluska Fire Department, the car fell about 100 feet down an embankment on I-40 eastbound, near the 3.5 mile marker, due to a large hole in the road from Hurricane Helene.
“Our members from Junaluska Fire Department arrived on scene and began assisting Grassy Fork Fire and Rescue with Rescue Operations, due to the complexity of this incident, the Emergency Crews on scene began Rope Rescue Operations and rapelled (rappelled) down the embankment and to the vehicle involved,” said Junaluska Fire Department on social media.
The woman was rescued from her vehicle and then transported by ambulance to a landing zone, where she was airlifted to a hospital. She later died from her injuries. Highway Patrol identified the woman as Patricia Ann Mahoney on Tuesday.
The crash prompted authorities to remind motorists that road barricades “are there for a reason.”
Photo via Junaluska Fire Department’s social media page.
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