WCNC

I-MAP responded to a number of calls for flat tires on I-77 near the state line.

At least 16 vehicles sat on the shoulder of northbound Interstate-77 Monday morning after running over debris. Several drivers told WCNC their tires popped as they traveled on the interstate near Carowinds Boulevard.

 “I just felt that my van was not maneuvering well, it was the ‘thump, thump, thump’,” Laura Badinski said. “I pulled over to the side and then I noticed there were multiple other cars to the side, and when I called to ask for assistance they said ‘oh, they’re taking care of other people with flat tires all up and down the 77 northbound side.'”

Badinski called her husband to help change her tire. His vehicle suffered a flat tire while en route to assist her.

“It’s not a good day at the Badinski household today,” she said.

Several crews with the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Incident Management Assistance Patrol were seen helping drivers change tires and patch holes.

DOT spokesperson Jen Thompson said IMAP found several inch-long sheet metal screws spread over several lanes at Westinghouse Boulevard. Thompson said cleanup crews estimated a one-pound box spilled from a passing truck.

Dispatchers began receiving calls at around 8:30 a.m. The North Carolina Highway Patrol said more than a dozen drivers called their hotline to report debris on the road. Troopers told WCNC witnesses could not provide a detailed description of the vehicle which spilled the screws.

Trooper William Carter said debris from trucks is one of the most common calls received by the Highway Patrol each day. He said drivers should get a license plate number and description of the vehicle, then call 911 or *HP to report problems. A Trooper will then attempt to stop the vehicle.

“If we find debris of that nature on that vehicle on that vehicle then we can go ahead and show them at fault,” Carter said.