GRANVILLE COUNTY, N.C. — Two accidents along Interstate 85 in Granville County on Monday afternoon were the result of a third accident along the stretch of highway, the North Carolina Highway Patrol said.

The accidents, all within two miles of one another, occurred within a 45-minute period shortly after 1 p.m.

In the first accident, authorities said, a tractor-trailer cut off a car and caused the car's driver to lose control of her vehicle and hit a guardrail. The driver, whose name was not released, was taken to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The second accident happened a short time later when an onlooker hit another vehicle's rear. Three people were taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries.

The third accident, which involved a tractor-trailer, a sport utility vehicle and a car, was a still under investigation, a Highway Patrol spokesman said.

The third accident involved a tractor-trailer, a van and an SUV, authorities said and happened when the tractor-trailer's driver slammed on breaks and hit the van from behind. The van then hit the SUV. There were two minior injuries.

The Highway Patrol did not say what charges, if any, would be filed in the accidents.