MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C.,None — A crash involving a Smithfield Meat Company truck, a tour bus and a box truck backed up traffic on Interstate 85 northbound, near the Gaston County line, late Thursday afternoon.
CHOPPER VIDEO: 10 Injured In I-85 N Crash
According to Gaston County EMS, 10 people were injured in the crash. Two were taken to Presbyterian Hospital and eight were taken to Carolinas Medical Center Main. Two of the eight people taken to CMC were airlifted.
Officials had to shut down the northbound lanes for hours while they cleared the road.
The tour bus was carrying a Christian music group, called The Bowling Family, that was on its way to a concert in Indian Land, S.C. The trio consists of Mike Bowling and his wife, Kelly, and alto Terah Crabb Penhollow.
[ The Bowling Family's website ]
[ The Bowling Family's Facebook page ]
There were 10 people on the bus at the time of the accident.
David Cerullo, the chairman and CEO of Inspiration Ministries, released the following statement about the accident:
"Barbara and I were devastated when we learned that the Bowling Family had a serious accident in route to our concert event at the City of Light on July 1. The Bowlings are dear friends of Inspiration Ministries, and have been featured in many of our productions and events. They are beloved throughout the Gospel music industry and by their millions of fans worldwide. Since hearing of this accident, our entire staff has been in deep prayer for the family, and we are devoting internal resources to provide assistance during this difficult time. Barbara and I, along with the Inspiration Ministries staff, urge people everywhere to join us in prayer for their speedy and complete recovery."
Mike and Kelly are expected to go home from the hospital Saturday. Kelly will be in a body cast to help heal her broken back. Their daughter, Katelanne, has a broken collar bone but was already released from the hospital.
Belmont police said the preliminary investigation shows that the tractor-trailer was stopped in traffic in the northbound lane when it was rear-ended by the tour bus, but the crash is still under investigation. David James, the police chief, said he sees backups from a nearby weigh station spill onto the interstate often, adding that he doesn't think the weigh station is capable of handling the traffic on that stretch of interstate.
Several truck drivers agreed.
"I've been scared there before where I've almost been hit there in the rear end trying to get through there," driver David Knight said.
"They keep lining them back up," driver Dave Darney said. "They don't let them go on by. That's what the problem is there."
Six years ago, $300,000 cameras were installed around the weigh station to allow the North Carolina Highway Patrol to see when trucks start to spill onto the interstate. They haven't said if that was an issue at the time of Thursday's crash.
According to the Highway Patrol, the weigh stations were built in 1979, before Charlotte experienced its population boom. Today, more than 124,000 cars drive the stretch of road and 6,000 trucks go through the weigh station.
There is a tentative plan in place to build another one that could better accommodate the traffic flow. It's still several years away, but would be welcomed by many of the people who drive in the area.