The county’s 14th highway fatality was reported in Riegelwood this morning, as a motorist slammed into the back of a stopped logging truck.
Acme-Delco-Riegelwood Fire-Rescue Chief Steve Camlin said the wreck happened at the intersection of John Riegel Road and N.C. 87. Firefighters were dispatched just after 6:30 a.m.
The logging truck was heading north on N.C. 87, and had stopped for the traffic light, Camlin said. The car came up behind the truck and failed to stop.
The car never hit the logs, but struck the push bumper on the trailer, Camlin said. The impact shoved the engine into the passenger compartment.
The truck driver was not injured, Camlin said. The crash happened less than 200 yards from the ADR Fire-Rescue station. The intersection is one of the busiest in the area, carrying the bulk of traffic into and out of International Paper.
The intersection was blocked until around 10:30 a.m. until fire crews cleared the scene.
A similar crash killed a man in Riegelwood in August. In that case, the passenger in a box truck died when the vehicle struck a stopped transfer truck on N.C. 87. The driver of the box truck was charged in that case.
The Highway Patrol investigating the wreck.
