IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — I-40 West was closed for about two hours because of a fatal crash, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Troopers say they were called to the 146-mile marker near exit 146 for Stamay Farm Road around noon on Saturday, October 7. This is a little less than 6 miles west of Statesville.
According to authorities, a 2018 Ford Fiesta was driving west on I-40, did not slow down enough and crashed into a 2018 International tractor-trailer in the right lane.
Officials say the tractor-trailer was stopped due to traffic. The driver, 61-year-old Calvin Franklin from Simpsonville, S.C., was not injured.
The driver of the Fiesta, 46-year-old Wesley Mallory from Morganton, N.C., died from his injuries while at the scene, according to troopers.
Authorities say both drivers were wearing seatbelts, and they do not think impairment was to blame. No charges will be filed.
