GASTONIA -- A mother of four was killed and six family members injured when a parked tractor-trailer rolled onto Interstate 85 and hit their southbound SUV because the driver had not put on the truck's emergency brake, authorities said Sunday.
An unoccupied US Food Service tractor-trailer parked in the center lane on a nearby road unexpectedly started to move. It rolled headfirst about 1,000 feet down the road, crossed the off ramp at Exit 21, then rolled down a steep embankment, police said.
The truck ran over a guardrail into southbound I-85 and hit the highway median as Alvarez's SUV rammed into it.
"It was a freak accident," said Gastonia police Sgt. Michael Lair. "It's very unusual to see such a large vehicle roll so far without jackknifing or turning over."
Vincent Bernard Lowery, 36, of Gastonia had left the truck parked in the turn lane to go into a gas station, officials said.