|
Two are injured in Balsam truck wreck
By Carey Phillips
Two people were injured when a 2004 Mitsubishi six-wheel box truck overturned late Monday night on U.S. 23-74 about a half mile inside Jackson County from Balsam Gap.
The wreck occurred when the driver of the westbound vehicle, 42-year-old Liamzhi Li of Rolling Heights, Calif., apparently went to sleep around 11:23 p.m., according to Trooper Mike McLeod of the N.C. Highway Patrol. The truck, which was partially filled with produce and poultry, went off the road on the right side, struck an embankment and overturned, McLeod said.
Yang Yongyi, 34, of Houston, a passenger in the truck, was ejected and was pinned under the cab, according to McLeod. Yongyi was taken to Mission Hospitals in Asheville where he was listed in stable condition Tuesday in the neurotrauma intensive care unit, the trooper said.
Li was admitted overnight for observation at Harris Regional Hospital and has been released, McLeod said.
Li has been charged with reckless driving, and other charges from the state patrol’s Motor Carrier Division are pending, McLeod said. One of the likely charges stems from Li, who is of Chinese descent, not being able to speak English.
Yongyi also does not speak English.
“The language barrier was definitely a problem,” McLeod said. “They did not speak English which is a violation of commercial driving laws in the United States.”
The westbound lanes were completely shut down at times. At least one lane was closed for around four hours, McLeod said.
|
