A falling interstate sign crushed a vehicle on I-77 South, seriously injuring two people and forcing a seven-hour shutdown

By Joe Marusak
The Herald-Sun

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An overhead sign on Interstate 77 collapsed onto a car in Charlotte, trapping the driver and closing the southbound lanes for seven hours late Friday and early Saturday, firefighters and state highway officials said.

The driver and another person were hospitalized with serious injuries, Charlotte Fire Department officials posted on social media with photos of the wreck.

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It was not clear what caused the sign to collapse or whether the second person hurt was in the injured driver’s car or another vehicle. Fire officials didn’t say in their post, and a State Highway Patrol spokesman has not yet responded to a request for more information.

A collision near Arrowood Road exit 3 caused the collapse, N.C. Department of Transportation officials said on social media site X Saturday afternoon. Fire engines, other rescuers respond to the scene

Charlotte Fire Department Engine 12 “arrived within minutes, confirmed entrapment and began patient care,” according to the Fire Department social media post.

“Ladder 20, which went into service earlier this month, and Rescue 10 worked together to free the driver, completing a complex extrication in under 30 minutes,” fire officials said.

Other responders, including the USAR search and rescue team, helped control the scene, officials said.

“Despite the cold conditions and the challenging scene, Charlotte Fire crews worked with precision and teamwork to manage the incident safely and protect everyone on scene,” the fire department post said. Detour, unanswered questions

Around 11 p.m., traffic was detoured onto Nations Ford Road exit 5, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police reported on X. Police urged drivers to seek alternate routes.

NCDOT interstate maintenance crews removed the sign, and I-77 reopened at 5 a.m., highway officials said.

The injured people were taken to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, MEDIC said on X.

The State Highway Patrol did not report how many vehicles were involved or the type of vehicles. They did not explain the cause of the crash or whether any of the drivers were impaired. They did not provide the names, ages or conditions of the people involved.

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