A serious crash involving a motorcycle and several cars caused major delays on Interstate 40 East near Exit 276 in Durham early Saturday morning.

According to WRAL, the incident occurred around 5:10 a.m. on July 12. Multiple 911 calls reported a crash near Southpoint involving a motorcycle. Contrary to early reports, no tractor-trailer was involved in the crash itself. A tractor-trailer driver who witnessed the crash stopped and blocked traffic to assist the injured motorcyclist until emergency responders arrived.

When officers reached the scene, they found the motorcyclist with life-threatening injuries. The individual was quickly transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The crash shut down nearly all three lanes of I-40 East for over four hours, creating significant traffic backups and delays of up to 20 minutes. As of 10 a.m., all lanes had been reopened.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and authorities have not released further details on the condition of the motorcyclist or whether other injuries were reported.