Busy intersection in Smithfield reopens after dump truck tears down traffic light

Friday, April 21, 2023
SMITHFIELD, N.C. (WTVD) -- The driver of a dump tuck was arrested after allegedly tearing down several traffic lights in a Smithfield intersection Thursday evening.

According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, at around 6 p.m. a dump truck with its bed in the upright position was traveling through the intersection of Swift Creek Road and U.S. 70 Business when it took down wires suspending a traffic signal. The driver of the truck, Leonardo Jose Delgado Gonzalez, 32, left the scene without stopping and later returned in another vehicle.
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Highway Patrol said six cars were damaged in the intersection when four power poles fell.

No injuries were reported.

Gonzalez was charged with hit and run causing property damage and a vehicle height violation.
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All lanes reopened Friday afternoon after emergency repairs were completed by NCDOT crews.
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