A woman from Southern Pines lost her life on Saturday after reportedly bypassing barricades on a closed section of Interstate 40 near the North Carolina-Tennessee border, authorities reported.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said the 62-year-old driver entered an area of the interstate that had been shut down due to storm damage caused by Hurricane Helene. Around 8 p.m. Saturday, the driver somehow became disoriented, ended up traveling in the wrong direction, and her vehicle fell through large openings in the road, plunging into the Pigeon River Gorge.
Emergency response teams from multiple agencies arrived at the scene to recover the woman from her vehicle. The Janaluska Community Volunteer Fire Department stated that rescue personnel rappelled down about 100 feet from the road to access the vehicle, which had settled on a steep embankment. Despite their efforts, the woman later succumbed to her injuries.
Floodwaters from the Pigeon River had washed away portions of the interstate, and barricades had been placed to prevent access to the hazardous, closed-off lanes.
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