A tractor-trailer plunged down an embankment on U.S. Interstate 77 early Tuesday morning, causing one southbound lane to be closed for hours.
The driver escaped serious injury, despite being pinned in the cab of the tractor-trailer for about 30 minutes.
The crash occurred shortly before 2 a.m. on I-77 south at the 47 mile marker, which is between Statesville and Troutman.
Emergency crews arrived to find the truck on its side, down an embankment. The truck collided with several trees as it traveled down the embankment.
The driver was pinned in the crushed cab for about 30 minutes as crews from the Iredell County and Troutman rescue squads and Troutman and Statesville fire departments worked to free her.
After she was freed, the driver, with assistance from rescue squad members, walked up the embankment and into an ambulance.
Paramedics checked her out on the scene, but she refused transport to a hospital.
Neither the woman's name nor the company she was driving for were available Tuesday.
The Motor Carrier Division of the N.C. Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
Troopers said the truck blew a tire, and the driver lost control before the truck hit the guardrail and traveled down the embankment.
One lane of southbound I-77 was reopened when most of the emergency vehicles cleared, but the right lane remained closed throughout most of the day on Tuesday.
The truck, which was hauling PVC pipe, was completely on its side, and the trailer was spilt open. The contents were unloaded by hand, which took several hours, the highway patrol said.
Traffic was backed up for three miles at times.
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