1 dead as SUV, big rig burst into flames in Interstate 77 wreck, trooper says
A woman died when a tractor-trailer driver plowed into an SUV on Interstate 77 southbound in Statesville, engulfing both vehicles in flames, State Highway Patrol Trooper Christopher Casey said Friday.
Kimberly Taylor Cox, 60, of York, South Carolina, died at Atrium Wake-Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, Casey said in a news release. Three dogs in the SUV also died, he said.
The SUV driver, 40-year-old Daniel Lawrence Heisig of Charlotte, was stopped in traffic near mile marker 49 around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the trooper. Heisig was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Casey said.
The driver of the Freightliner tractor-trailer, Aniello Marro Chavarria, 56, of Statesville, was uninjured, according to the State Highway Patrol.
When troopers finish their investigation, they will consult with Iredell County prosecutors about filing charges in the crash.
I-77 was closed for about four hours as troopers investigated.
This story was originally published October 18, 2025 at 5:30 AM.