‘We saw her just fly over the side of the mountain,’ witness to fiery crash says
By Kristen Aguirre
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MCDOWELL COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — Driving down a mountain can be an intense experience for even the most experienced driver. The twists and turns can be difficult to navigate.
“She was flying down those mountains,” Hope Bailey said. “She was on two wheels then we saw her just fly over the side of the mountain!”
Bailey was near the Mitchell County line Friday when she witnessed a crash just south of a sand pile runway on N.C. 226 North.
“We noticed her like booking it on down there, like she lost it. Her brakes were completely gone, smoking, then she flew,” Bailey said.
The motorhome ran off the highway, hit a tree, slid down the mountain and caught fire after the brakes failed.
“It’s terrifying. It’s scary. What can you do?” Bailey said.
She did a lot. Bailey called 911 while her husband and another man pulled the driver from the car. State troopers identified the driver as Tracey Patterson, from Tennessee. She’s hospitalized, in serious condition.
“If they waited another five seconds, she wouldn’t have made it,” Bailey said.
But Patterson did make — the RV did not. What’s left of it is unrecognizable.
Bailey said she’s no hero.
“You can’t just turn around and leave something like that,” she said.
Her thoughts are still with Patterson.
”I’m praying for you,” Bailey said.
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