LOCAL

Blue Ridge Parkway reopens after truck accident, driver to be charged for violations

The Citizen-Times

Workers clean up some 2,200 pounds of large-scale batteries that were dumped when a commercial truck travelling on the Blue Ridge Parkway, left the roadway near Milepost 466 Tuesday night.

CHEROKEE - The southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway reopened at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, after a Tuesday night delivery truck accident caused the 14-mile stretch to close for cleanup and investigation, according to the National Park Service.

The driver of the truck, 36-year old Wakiem Davis of New Jersey, has been discharged from Mission Hospital. He will be charged for driving with a suspended license, commercial traffic violation, and other potential charges related to the operation and condition of the vehicle.

The accident occurred near the Rattlesnake Mountain and Sherrill Cove tunnels. The parkway is now open from Milepost 455 at Soco Gap to 469 at the roadway's terminus near Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

At approximately 5:15 p.m. July 17, a commercial truck carrying shelves of large-scale batteries, with a total weight of 2,200 pounds, left the roadway near Milepost 466.

Cooperating responders from Swain County, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Fire Department and Tribal Rescue, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, and the N.C. Hazardous Materials Regional Response team have cleared the area and confirmed that no serious resource injuries occurred as a result of the accident.

MORE: Crash closes Parkway near Great Smokies

The batteries involved in the accident were determined to be gel-cell construction and as a result did not leak.

Commercial vehicles are not permitted on the parkway. The truck involved in this accident was lost and had accidentally driven onto the parkway en route to make a delivery to Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, said parkway spokeswoman Leesa Brandon.

Some 2,200 pounds of large-scale batteries were scattered along the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway when a commercial truck left the roadway near Milepost 466 near the Great Smokies Tuesday night.

According to the Code of Federal Regulation,

"The use of government roads within park areas by commercial vehicles, when such use is in no way connected with the operation of the park area, is prohibited, except that in emergencies the Superintendent may grant permission to use park roads."