FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — A motorcyclist who died in an Interstate 95 wreck Saturday afternoon north of Fayetteville was traveling with a group of friends who saw his crash, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
The incident was reported just before 3 p.m. in the southbound lanes of I-95 at mile marker 66.5, in Cumberland County, officials said.
Officials told CBS 17 that a man on a motorcycle crashed into a guardrail in the construction zone after veering off the highway south of Dunn.
First responders worked for about 30 minutes to save the motorcyclist, but the man died at the scene, officials said.
The crash happened when the man on the motorcycle reached down to grab a bottle of water and swerved, with his motorcycle going off the highway, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Some friends riding with the man were behind him and saw their friend crash — and later die, troopers told CBS 17.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said the victim is 49-year-old Kenneth Ray Todd from Columbus County.
The group of motorcyclists was coming back from an event in Rocky Mount, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said.
Southbound lanes of I-95 were closed for more than an hour and a lane was closed for about 30 minutes after that, officials said. Southbound traffic was detoured off the highway onto U.S. 301 and traffic was backed up for about three hours.
There were no other injuries.