I-485 driver fell asleep, troopers say. Of 9 injured, 1 was a baby riding in front seat
An SUV carrying six children and three adults careened off Interstate 485 Inner Loop in Charlotte late Thursday after the driver fell asleep, according to the State Highway Patrol.
No one had a seatbelt or child restraint on, and an 8-month-old baby was being held by an adult in the front passenger seat when the SUV crashed, Trooper Ray Pierce told The Charlotte Observer.
All nine people remained hospitalized with serious injuries at Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center on Friday, including three children whose injuries were life-threatening, according to the trooper.
The driver, Shontavia Smith Barber, told a trooper at the scene that she fell asleep, Pierce said. Barber was cited for driving with a revoked license, careless and reckless driving due to falling asleep at the wheel, failure to wear a seat belt and failure to restrain the six children, troopers said.
The 2010 Chevrolet Traverse veered off the right shoulder of the interstate at about 11:15 p.m. at the Dixie River Road bridge, near Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
The SUV overturned after hitting the dirt embankment off the highway, Pierce said. The ages of the injured children range from 4 months to 10 years old, according to the trooper.
“This is just one of those stark reminders to make sure you wear a seat belt and that everyone else in your vehicle has a restraint on,” Pierce said.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 11:22 AM.