Highway reopens after semi hauling mail overturns

A tractor-trailer hauling mail for the U.S. Postal Service overturned Saturday morning on southbound Interstate 85/40 in Alamance County, blocking traffic for four hours, authorities said.

Posted 4:27 p.m. Dec 26, 2009 — Updated 7:22 p.m. Dec 26, 2009

MEBANE, N.C. — A tractor-trailer hauling mail for the U.S. Postal Service overturned Saturday morning on southbound Interstate 85/40 in Alamance County, blocking traffic for four hours, authorities said.

The incident occurred shortly after 8 a.m. near Mebane Oaks Road – mile marker 154 – and blocked three of four lanes of southbound traffic for almost three hours, authorities said. The state Highway Patrol reopened a second lane to southbound traffic by 11 a.m. and was able to reopen the other two lanes by 12:30 p.m.

The truck, owned by Mail Carriers of America, which contracts with the Postal Service to carry mail, was en route from Capitol Heights, Md., to a postal terminal at Piedmont Triad International Airport when the wreck occurred, Trooper E.T. Badgett said.

Authorities believe the driver, David Doss, 63, of Brown Summit, suffered a minor stroke, causing him to lose control of the truck, Badgett said. The truck veered to the right and went off the road, hitting an embankment and flipping on its side, he said.

Doss was taken to Alamance Regional Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries suffered in the incident and so physicians could determine whether he needed treatment for stroke, Badgett said.

No charges will be filed in the incident.

All of the packages and mail were taken off the truck and were transported to the postal terminal for inspection. After crews got the truck upright, it was taken to a nearby tow yard for inspection.

Traffic was backed up for at least 4 miles on I-85/40 during the peak of the delays, Badgett said.

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