Driver dies after crashing off hurricane-damaged highway in North Carolina

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Officials say a driver has died after going around a barricade on a hurricane-damaged North Carolina highway that became a symbol of Helene’s destruction. Photos of Interstate 40 with multiple lanes washed out by Helene near the Tennessee state line drew widespread attention. The Junaluska Community Volunteer Fire Department says emergency workers responded to the eastbound lanes of the Interstate Saturday night, and had to rappel down an embankment to reach the vehicle. The driver was alone inside. She was extricated and taken to a hospital where she later died.