A woman died Friday evening after her car struck a commercial vehicle that was turning onto Interstate 77 from N.C. 89 in Lowgap, with her vehicle ending up pinned beneath it. Troopers identified the woman as Lisa Marie Ladson, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Troopers responded at about 6:28 p.m. Friday to a report of a crash involving a death on N.C. 89 at the I-77 on-ramp in Lowgap, according to FOX8. Per the Highway Patrol account cited by the station, a commercial vehicle was making a left turn from N.C. 89 onto I-77 while Ladson was heading east on N.C. 89 at the same time.
The Highway Patrol account reportedly said Ladson failed to slow down and struck the commercial vehicle while it was partially on the on-ramp. Her vehicle ended up pinned under the other vehicle, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, the station's report states. There were no other passengers in Ladson's vehicle at the time of the crash.
A Stretch of Road With a Recent History of Trouble
This is not the first time a commercial vehicle has been involved in a crash on this part of N.C. 89 in Lowgap. A separate, nonfatal crash involving a tractor-trailer closed the roadway near the 10000 block of West Pine Street, with officials called to the scene just before 1:30 p.m. on a Monday, as reported by WXII.
Surry County EMS officials said no one was injured in that earlier crash and that they did not know what had led to it, the outlet reported. EMS officials said the tractor-trailer involved was carrying produce at the time. The North Carolina Department of Transportation said the closure along NC 18 to Lumber Plant Road was temporary, with roads expected to clear around 11 p.m. The available evidence does not establish a broader crash trend on this stretch of highway.
How Crash Reports Become Public
Crashes investigated by the State Highway Patrol since May 16, 2013, are eventually made available through a collision-information system maintained by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Those reports may take up to 48 hours to enter the system, according to the NC Department of Public Safety, though the online version is not considered a certified crash report. Anyone needing a certified copy must request it separately through the state DMV.
No independent investigation findings or a response from the commercial vehicle's driver have been made public at this time. The crash remains attributed to the Highway Patrol's account as relayed through FOX8's reporting.
