Fatal crash closes I-77 north for ‘extended period’ in Iredell County: NCSHP
IREDELL COUNTY, N.C (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- Interstate 77 will be closed for several hours after a fatal head-on crash caused a semi-truck to catch fire, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. The incident happened around 2 a.m. on Friday, May 16, on I-77 near Exit 42 for US-21. Troopers say a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado was driving the wrong way and hit a tractor-trailer head-on, causing the tractor-trailer to overturn and catch fire. The driver of the Silverado, 31-year-old Eric Anthony Pompa of Layton, Utah, was thrown from the truck and died from his injuries. He was wearing a seat belt. The driver of the tractor-trailer, a 52-year-old man from Tampa, Florida, had non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem. Troopers suspect Pompa was impaired and say no charges will be filed in the crash. All northbound lanes of I-77 are currently closed near US-21. This is less than 3 miles from downtown Troutman. There are significant backups in the area, and traffic is being diverted off the interstate. Officials currently estimate that the interstate will reopen around 1 p.m., as it will take several hours to clean up the road.
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