Gastonia,NC : Woman suffers serious injuries in I-85 wreck on Tuesday, 8th May 2018

A Charlotte woman suffered serious injuries in a five-vehicle wreck on Interstate 85 Tuesday.

Jalissa Jones, 25, had been reported deceased as a result of her injuries based on information provided by the Highway Patrol. However, troopers said that information was wrong and she remained in critical condition at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

Hospital and law enforcement have had trouble contacting Jones’ immediate family, Trooper R.H. Pierce said.

Jones had stopped her vehicle on I-85 South between the Lowell and Cox Road exits around 9:20 a.m. in regard to a collision between a tractor-trailer and another vehicle, Pierce said.

A fifth vehicle, driven by Peggy Virginia Oates, 50, of Charlotte, hit the rear of Jones’ vehicle, which then caused a chain reaction with the other vehicles involved, Pierce said.

Oates was traveling at least 55 mph at the time of impact and there were no skid marks before coming into contact with Jones’ vehicle, Pierce said.

“Something in the last vehicle (driven by Oates) distracted the driver and she made contact with the last car at a high rate of speed,” Pierce said.

Oates faces two charges in the wreck — failure to reduce speed and careless and reckless driving. If Jones does die, those charges would likely be upgraded to more serious offenses, Pierce said.

The wreck backed up traffic on I-85 South for several hours.


Paramedics administered CPR on Jones on the way to the hospital, according to GEMS. Two other people were transported to the hospital with less serious injuries.

David Fields was driving a box truck hauling mailboxes and got sideswiped by a car. He said he tried to help others involved, but that emergency workers had to use a saw to free a driver from her car.

“When I got out, saw how major it was, I called 911 immediately,” Fields said. “I got the passenger out of the silver car,


Source :
Woman suffers serious injuries in I-85 wreck