Two men who died on Interstate 40 in Franklin County on Thursday when the tractor-trailer in which they were traveling ran off the roadway, drove into a creek and collided with a tree were residents of North Carolina.
The driver, 52-year-old Larry Brooks of Morganton, N.C., and a passenger, 54-year-old Michael McPeters of Lenoir, N.C. died in the one-vehicle accident.
The accident occurred around 3 a.m. Saturday morning. The 2001 Volvo VN was eastbound on I-40 near Dirty Creek when the 18-wheeler left the roadway and struck a guardrail before plunging down an embankment.
The release of the identity of the two men was delayed until notification of their next of kin.
