By Shavonne Potts
Salisbury Post
A Christmas Day wreck on Interstate 85 was caused by driver inattention, according to a N.C. Highway Patrol trooper.
Tammy Thomas, 40, of Winston-Salem, was driving in the northbound lane near the I-85 intersection with Lane Street in Kannapolis when she took her eyes off the road to adjust the radio, said Trooper R.T. Coward.
He said Thomas, who was in the lefthand lane, ran off the road and into the median.
“She crossed back and struck an embankment,” Coward said.
The single-vehicle accident occurred around 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Thomas’ son, Wayne Lanzaron, 10, was in the passenger’s seat.
The car, a 1994 Saturn, overturned and caught fire.
“A passerby helped get them out a back window,” the trooper said.
Mother and son were uninjured. Mount Mitchell Fire Chief Robert Earnhardt said they refused emergency medical care at the scene. Mount Mitchell responded to extinguish the fire.
Neither alcohol nor speed was a factor, Coward said.
“She wasn’t paying attention,” he said.
Traffic was at a standstill for a short period of time.
Contact Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253 or spotts@salisburypost.com.