CLEVELAND COMMUNITY – Eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 were shut down Tuesday evening when a pair of accidents left wrecked cars, injured people and a damaged fire truck in the roadway. It happened around 6:30pm near the eastbound on ramp from the Cleveland Road/NC 42 area.
The first accident involved an overturned car with serious injuries. Despite many flashing lights and emergency personnel, the second accident was between an eastbound car and a stopped Cleveland Fire Department fire truck.
There were no injuries in the second accident, and no firefighters were injured, but the fire truck sustained considerable damage.
In a post on the Cleveland Fire Department Facebook page they wrote, “… We ask that this serve as a reminder to slow down and move over when you encounter emergency vehicles. The lives of our Firefighters depend on it!”
Multiple lanes of I-40 were shut down for over two hours during the investigation and clean up.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol investigated the two accidents.
