Fog-related accident ties up traffic at 70 - 111 intersection
By Barbara Arntsen
Published in News on February 22, 2005 2:34 PM
Local officials blamed weather conditions for a series of automobile accidents this morning.
Fog covered the highways of Wayne County, reducing visibility for drivers.
As drivers approached the intersection of N.C. 111 and U.S. 70 East, the thick gray mass of fog hid the traffic light.
A Cintas uniform truck collided with the trailer of a tractor-trailer headed to Case Farms with a load of chickens at about 7:20. It took Goldsboro police and Elroy Fire Department volunteers some time to clear the accident scene, tying up traffic in the fog at the busy intersection.
Both drivers were taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries, which were not life threatening.
The accident pulled the front end off the uniform truck.
Shortly after that accident, there was another three-car pileup in front of Goldsboro Motor Company west of the 70-111 intersection.
Law enforcement officials worked quickly to clear the highway, but traffic was backed up for almost a mile. Cars inched slowly past the accidents.
Patrol Officer M.A. Croom responded to the second accident, and said he believed the fog and the first wreck contributed to the second accident.
"The white van hit the Accord, causing it to run into the Mitsubishi," Croom said.
He estimated total damage at around $15,000, but said that the accident was still being investigated.
Croom said that no one was seriously injured in the accident.
Accidents kept law enforcement officials busy in several other areas of the county until the fog lifted at mid-morning.