Fatal dump truck accident declared Helene-related, changing N.C. death toll to 108

OLD FORT, N.C. (WLOS) — North Carolina’s death toll from Hurricane Helene is now officially 108, following a fatal dump-truck accident that happened on June 17 in Old Fort.

The 65-year-old dump truck driver from Georgia died after losing control of his truck down a steep, six-mile I-40 descent into Old Fort. The truck was carrying railroad ballast to repair a railroad that was damaged by Helene. Due to this, a spokesperson from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services told News 13 on June 26 that the dump-truck driver’s death was considered a Helene-related fatality.

“This death was considered an indirect Hurricane Helene death in McDowell County. There are 108 storm-verified deaths from Hurricane Helene,” NCDHHS spokesperson Summer Tonizzo said…

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