GASTON COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – The driver of a tractor-trailer is facing several charges in connection to a crash that injured a man and his two children, ages 11 and 13.
The serious accident occurred around 4 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, along Interstate 85 southbound near mile marker 27 in eastern Gaston County.
Belmont Police said the driver of the tractor-trailer, identified as Mohammed Saeed Ali, 39, had stopped in the lane of travel on I-85 and did not have his hazard lights on.
Authorities said the tractor-trailer was struck by a Honda minivan, that was traveling south on I-85. The minivan was being driven by a man, with his two young children in the vehicle.
The 49-year-old man and his children were trapped inside their van that became wedged under the bed of the tractor-trailer following the crash, Belmont Police explained.
Emergency personnel with the Belmont Fire Department worked to safely remove the family from the minivan. The father and one of his children were taken to Atrium Health Main with serious injuries. The second child was initially taken to Caromont Regional Medical Center and then transferred to Levine Children’s Hospital with serious injuries.
Police said the child receiving treatment at Levine Children’s Hospital was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Ali has been charged with impeding the flow of traffic, failure to display warning devices, and improper parking at this time. This case remains open and ongoing.
Anyone with additional information has been asked to call Sgt. Cody Willett at 704-825-3792.
