A major pile-up of vehicles on Interstate 40 in Orange County Wednesday afternoon left one person dead and several others injured, according to emergency services.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol said its troopers responded just before 3 p.m. to a multi-vehicle collision along I-40 westbound past the 259-mile marker, after two separate crashes near the I-40/I-85 exchange backed up traffic to the south of Hillsborough. Multiple vehicles then struck the stopped traffic from behind, creating another chain of collisions — one of which included a tractor trailer striking a passenger vehicle. The driver of the car, 78-year-old Jerolyn Day Wilson of Burlington, died as a result of injuries from the crash.

The State Highway Patrol said the driver of the tractor trailer, 44-year-old William Crowell Kellam, was arrested and charged Wednesday. He faces a charge of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and exceeding a safe speed for conditions, and was issued a written promise to appear in court.

In total, state troopers reported 12 collisions happening within the immediate area of I-40 in northern Orange County between 53 vehicles. Orange Rural Fire Department similarly shared details about the pile-up on its Facebook page.

The crashes happened as snow continued to fall in the area as part of a passing winter storm, which created hazardously slick conditions on the roads, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Charles Blackwood warned drivers traveling both Wednesday evening and overnight to stay off the roads as possible, describing rural, secondary and interstates as dangerous.

As of midnight on Thursday, traffic maps indicate westbound I-40 from Exit 261 in Hillsborough to the I-85 connector remains closed to traffic. Detours can be taken down Old Highway 86 to I-85 in Hillsborough before continuing west. Additional crashes, road closures and construction stretches can be found on DriveNC.gov.

Featured photo via AP Photo/Skip Foreman.

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