Driver to be charged with DWI after hitting troopers' cars on I-85 near Hillsborough

A N.C. State Highway Patrol trooper was taken to a hospital with a serious cut to the head after a vehicle left Interstate 85 and hit two stopped patrol cars outside Hillsborough on Sunday morning, the Highway Patrol said.

The Highway Patrol, as reported by WRAL, said two troopers were investigating an earlier crash on I-85 in Orange County near Hillsborough around 8 a.m. when a vehicle ran off the right side of the interstate and struck their stopped patrol vehicles. One trooper was inside his car. The other trooper was not hurt.

The Patrol identified the driver as Richard Sosa, 34. It said he was impaired and will be charged with driving while intoxicated. Other charges could follow, the Patrol said. Sosa was hurt and taken to UNC Hillsborough Hospital.

Being charged with a crime does not mean a person is guilty. Sosa is presumed innocent unless he is proven guilty in court. As of Monday morning we had not found a court record or a Highway Patrol post of our own that showed the charge had already been filed.

Dense fog was covering the area at the time, according to Orange County Emergency Communications as reported by CBS17.

We looked for a statement on the Highway Patrol's account and on ncdps.gov. We did not find one we could read.

Road closure

NCDOT closed all southbound lanes of I-85 past Exit 163 because of the crash. The department listed the closure as cleared at about 8:38 a.m.

What we don't know yet

The Highway Patrol has not released the troopers' names. It has not said more about the injured trooper's condition than the serious cut to the head. It also has not said what caused the first crash.

Timeline

• Sunday, Oct. 11, about 8 a.m.: Two troopers are at an earlier crash on I-85 near Hillsborough when a vehicle runs off the road to the right and hits their stopped patrol cars, the Highway Patrol said.
• About 8:38 a.m.: NCDOT lists the southbound I-85 closure past Exit 163 as cleared.
• Monday, Oct. 12, 1:46 a.m.: WRAL publishes the Highway Patrol account naming Sosa and saying he will face a DWI charge.

What happens next

We will update this story if the Highway Patrol or the courts say whether Sosa has been charged, if other charges are filed, or if officials release the troopers' names or a fuller condition update. North Carolina's Move Over law requires drivers to change lanes or slow down when passing stopped emergency vehicles.