KINSTON, N.C. -- Boats equipped with sonar were in the Neuse River Tuesday searching for the driver of a tractor trailer.

  • The truck broke through the guard rail of a bridge on Highway 70 West in Kinston
  • Authorities are searching the water for the missing driver
  • The first step in understanding what went wrong in the accident is finding that driver

Sunday, the truck broke through the guard rail of a bridge on Highway 70 West in Kinston. It then landed in the water.

Authorities are searching the water for the missing driver, whose identity has not been released.

The first step in understanding what went wrong in the accident is finding that driver.

"Once we find the person we can start the process of the investigation," said Samuel Kornegay of the Lenoir Co. Emergency Services. "What happened? How did the vehicle wind up in the river? Was there a medical condition that played a role? Once we locate him, we can answer those questions."

“Based off the resources that we have, I have a high confidence that as long as things are in our favor, things will go well. Mother nature plays a factor into it: the current, the river, the depth, the rising river levels. So it’s kind of hard to give you a ‘yes we’re gonna find something or no we’re not,'” said Dustin Burkett of Lenoir Co. Emergency Services.

Craven County Fire and Rescue will search the river with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission, only during daylight hours for safety reasons.

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