IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — Packages littered the ground Wednesday after an Amazon truck was involved in an accident along Interstate 77 in Iredell County.
The crash happened in the northbound lanes around 1 a.m.
Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over the ongoing traffic backups south of Statesville near exit 47 a few hours later, and packages were still scattered on the side of the interstate.
Workers said the truck ended up on its side after crashing through a guardrail. It was carrying 13,000 pounds of packages.
Channel 9 got an up-close look at some of the packages and could see where nearly two dozen of them were badly damaged.
The items included everything from children’s toys to window treatments and cribs.
Most of them were originally shipped through the Georgia Port Authority.
Channel 9 learned the driver was not seriously injured. We don’t know yet what caused the truck to go off the interstate.
Volunteers with 5th Street Ministries in Statesville helped move the packages onto another truck.
“A lot of people are not getting their packages. But luckily, that’s what insurance is for. Unfortunately, there’s gonna be a couple of people upset that they’re gonna be late or damaged, so they might have to ask for a refund,” Jessica Tysinger said.
Troopers said the right northbound lane was shut down near Amity Hill Road for two miles.
Below is the detour they recommended for drivers:
Take exit 45 (US-21) and continue north. Follow US-21 north for seven miles then turn right onto US-70 East. Follow US-70 east to re-access I-77 north.
An Amazon spokesperson released a statement, saying, “Safety is our top priority and we wish the driver a full recovery. We are working with the third party carrier as they investigate the incident.”
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