A driver died last Saturday after bypassing a barricade set up after Hurricane Helene damaged a North Carolina highway, falling into a gorge.
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On November 9, Patricia Mahoney was near the Tennessee state line when she took a wrong turn. She veered off Interstate 40 and plunged into a large hole in the roadway, ultimately landing in the Pigeon River Gorge.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Junaluska Community Volunteer Fire Department reported that the vehicle veered off the roadway and descended an embankment. It came to rest approximately 100 feet from the road.
Junaluska Fire Chief Charles Wood weighed in on the tragic accident.
“She drove through that cable and then right off the interstate,” Chief Wood explained to local ABC affiliate WLOS-TV. “No skid marks, no nothing. It doesn’t look like she hit the brakes or anything.”
“She was 100 feet down the bank. She landed – her car landed up about halfway down the bank and then tumbled,” Chief Wood added.
The Driver Was Rescued After Falling Into the Gorge But Later Died From Her Injuries
Several agencies responded to the accident, including the North Carolina Highway Patrol, according to WLOS-TV. The woman was reportedly rescued from her SUV through the sunroof and was airlifted to a nearby hospital in Tennessee. However, she died from her injuries Sunday morning.
The reason behind the woman’s decision to bypass the barricade remains uncertain.
As the investigation into the accident unfolds, police are urging drivers to pay close attention to the signage in the area, where roadways were severely impacted by flooding from the September hurricane.
“The traffic patterns down there are completely changed due to the storm,” Chief Wood cautioned about the ruined roadways.
Two months following the storm, road closures persist across western North Carolina, per WRAL News. Officials are advising residents to refrain from traveling through the impacted areas.
Sections of Interstate 26 and Interstate 40 are closed between North Carolina and Tennessee. Drivers can detour north via I-40 West to I-77N into Virginia, then I-81S back to I-40. Alternatively, detour south using U.S. 74 West to avoid I-40 and I-26. Those departing from Asheville should take I-40 East or I-26 East.