Woman drives off I-540 bridge

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Tags:

wake county, i540, accident, local/state

KNIGHTDALE, N.C. (WTVD) -- A 20-year-old woman driving eastbound on I-540 went airborne in her vehicle and landed about 100 feet down an embankment, according to officials.

Her vehicle landed near Neuseoco Lake, just south of Milburnie Road around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Officials sais 20-year-old Curtissia Love lost control while trying to reach something that had fallen to the floor of her car.

The vehicle went off the road, struck the center guardrail, sending it down the embankment. It then rolled over and came to rest beneath the I-540 bridge that spans the eastern edge of Neuseoco Lake.

« Click here to hear the 911 call (.wav) »

According to the 911 call, Love was shocked she even survived.

"I was in a car accident, and I flipped over the side of the freeway," said the driver to a 911 operator. "I don't know how I survived that."

Love injured her arm in the crash. At last report, she remained at WakeMed in good condition.

Traffic was backed up for hours following the wreck. Local fire authorities also contacted the EPA due to concerns of fuel and oil spilling into a nearby creek.

Officials said drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors.