Interstate 485 drivers caused a traffic jam while gawking at and videotaping an overturned car, emergency responders said in a lengthy rebuke on Twitter Saturday night.
“Please put your phones down and keep your eyes on the road,” Matthews Fire & EMS tweeted earlier in the day with two photos from the wreck scene, including one of an overturned car.
Three people had to be extracted from the wreck and were taken to hospitals, according to Matthews Fire & EMS.
The wreck just before 11 a.m. closed I-485 Inner Loop between John Street and Providence Road, according to another Fire and EMS tweet.
On Facebook, emergency responders said their response efforts “were further hampered by motorists who did not yield to emergency vehicles, motorists who attempted to circumnavigate traffic by using the emergency/breakdown lanes and several motorists who abandoned their vehicles to talk to other drivers or to get a better look at the accident.”
When it was safe to do so, Matthews Fire & EMS responders opened a lane of traffic and noticed the “vast majority” of drivers texting and or videotaping the scene.
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“This is EXTREMELY dangerous,” Matthews Fire & EMS posted. “Please don’t let your curiosity distract you from the road. Scenes like that are dynamic, and we don’t need you being distracted.”
Drivers on the I-485 Outer Loop, meanwhile, “caused a traffic jam as bad as the one on the inner loop that was closed,” according to Matthews Fire & EMS. “Why? Because they wanted to rubberneck and also take videos. These habits are extremely dangerous for you and for us.
“If you’re interested in seeing accidents up close, consider joining your local fire department, otherwise please continue moving at a safe speed and (put) the phones away.”
In solidarity, the Huntersville Fire Department retweeted the Matthews post, saying, “We have the SAME issues on I-77, daily. This is not a game or a spectator sport. We’re trying to help people. Don’t be selfish. MOVE OVER, Yield & put those dang devices down!”
Huntersville Fire included the hash tags “Unacceptable,” “HelpUsHelpYou,” “MoveOver and “CLTtraffic.”
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