North Carolina State trooper describes crash to father: 'I just got hit by a tractor-trailer'

HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. -- Ken Hall, North Carolina State Trooper Chris Hall's father, said his son called him Friday at 1 a.m.

"I looked at the phone and said, 'It's Chris; that can't be good,'" said Hall. The news from his 42-year-old son was shocking.

"He said, 'Everything's OK. I just want you to know I just got hit by a tractor-trailer,'" Hall recalled. "I'm thinking, 'You got hit by a tractor-trailer? How?'"

His son, Chris Hall, was one of five people hurt late Thursday night, March 21, after a tractor-trailer struck vehicles stopped on the shoulder of Interstate 40 West, authorities said.

Trooper Hall explained to his father there was a chain reaction wreck in the emergency lane at exit 20 on I-40 in Haywood County at 11:38 p.m. Thursday. The cause, investigators report, was a tractor-trailer driver in the right lane who hit a highway emergency response vehicle, which then struck Trooper Hall's car in a severe impact.

North Carolina law requires drivers to get out of the right lane when passing a wreck in the emergency lane -- but investigators said the truck driver stayed in the right lane. For the first time, on Friday afternoon, Ken Hall saw an image of his son's car. He was thankful his son walked away with no major injuries.

"He remembers getting out of the car with the help of the EMT folks and getting over to the stretcher," Hall said.

He said his son felt sore and bruised but was feeling like he would make a full recovery. Trooper Hall has worked 17 years for the highway department, serving 11 years as a master trooper. His father said he's always been proud of his son who always handles crises with a calm demeanor.

He said his son explained to him what happened.

"There was a DOT IMAP truck behind him and the tractor-trailer apparently clipped it, hit him," Hall said. That caused Trooper Hall's car to hit the two cars involved in the wreck that he had initially responded to.

"It plowed dirt up to three foot high over the top of the tires," said Chris Dover, the tow driver who responded to the scene.

He towed the double trailer and truck cab to his lot in Haywood County. He said he's angry at the driver, as he said he has seen many other drivers in North Carolina ignoring state law.

"At 10 o'clock at night, that road is not that busy that the guy could not have moved over," said Dover. "Luckily, they were all in their vehicles, because if they had been outside their vehicles, they probably would have been planning funerals."

In total, five people were injured but they all walked away.

"Looking at the trooper's car, he's very lucky to be alive," Dover said. "I've lost someone very close to me that has been involved in the same kind of accident."

Every June, Dover holds a truck and car show that doubles as a fundraiser to keep billboards posted around the region reminding people of a dear friend he lost in a similar way. His friend and fellow tow truck driver, Austin Gayne, was 23 when he was hit doing his job in Florida. A month after the incident, Austin died.

Dover raises money to keep the billboards up, which he feels help remind drivers of his friend's death and realize failure to follow the law -- and move out of the right lane while passing a wreck -- can have deadly consequences.

"People need to pay attention to the lights and watch what they're doing and pay attention to the road," said Dover. "When you see somebody pulled over -- whether it has flashing lights or not -- get over."

The-CNN-Wire

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