According to state troopers, a sport utility vehicle was carrying an improperly secured baby stroller that fell off and landed in the middle of the eastbound I-40 bridge over Highway 70.
When Tim Robertson tried to manuever his Chevrolet Trailblazer around it, he lost control and crashed into a Chevy Blazer, which was pulling a horse trailer with two horses inside.
"There was something laying in the road, and I swerved to miss it," Robertson said. "The next thing I know, I'm laying on my top on the bridge."
The horse trailer also overturned. One of the horses was able to escape immediately. But the other one was trapped inside for about two hours.
A veterinarian from North Carolina State came out to sedate the trapped horse so that it could be extricated. The horse suffered only cuts and bruises to its face.
Christopher Francis Stynes, 31, has been charged with failure to secure load and a fine of $110. Stynes' first court appearance will be Friday, Sept. 10.
The state Highway Patrol claims if you are in heavy traffic and something light flies off another car, you may be better off hitting it rather than swerving to avoid it.
"You are going to have damage on your vehicle, but you run the risk of losing your life or really tearing up your vehicle or getting injured if you do a sudden jerking movement, strike another vehicle and lose control," said Sgt. Everett Clendenin, of the state Highway Patrol.
Aside from securing your load, motorists must also be concerned about height. Any part of a vehicle that tops 13 feet 6 inches is also in violation of North Carolina law.
Three children in Robertson's vehicle were taken to a hospital as a precaution but were not injured. I-40 eastbound was shut down for 30 minutes, rerouted onto Highway 70 and then back onto 40.
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