Driver Airlifted After Garbage Truck Overturns On I-40

JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. – A tractor-trailer hauling trash overturned Monday afternoon along Interstate 40 in southern Johnston County, leaving a driver with life-threatening injuries and forcing extended lane closures in both directions.

According to state troopers, the crash happened around 1:05 p.m. in the eastbound lanes near mile marker 334, just east of the NC 96/Meadow exit. Investigators say the driver, a 69-year-old man from Fayetteville, was traveling east in a 2018 Kenworth construction truck pulling a trailer when the vehicle veered off the roadway into the median.

The truck struck a cable guardrail before overturning onto its side, pinning the driver inside. The impact scattered debris and trash across the median and into the westbound lanes, creating a hazardous and time-consuming cleanup situation.

Emergency crews called for Duke Life Flight, which transported the driver to WakeMed in Raleigh with serious, life-threatening injuries.

Troopers say the cause of the crash remains under investigation, though a medical issue may have contributed. The driver was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, and authorities do not suspect alcohol was a factor. No charges are expected.

The crash prompted the closure of inner lanes on both eastbound and westbound I-40 as crews worked to clear debris and remove the overturned truck. Officials estimated the lanes would remain closed until approximately 8:15 p.m.