Three Rear-End Crashes on I-26 Near Long Shoals Cause Major Delays

Three separate minor rear-end collisions that involved a total of seven vehicles on Interstate 26 near Long Shoals Road produced major morning delays for Buncombe County commuters, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said. Sgt. H. M. Onderdonk told News 13, “This morning there were three separate minor rear end collisions that involved a total of seven vehicles on I-26,” and he confirmed the crashes led to temporary lane closures.

NCDOT TIMS alerts cited by WLOS placed one closure “one mile west of Exit 37 (Long Shoals Road) at around 7:40 a.m. because of a wreck. The incident was cleared by 8:45 p.m., according to the TIMS alert.” That TIMS text appears in WLOS reporting; Patrol and NCDOT logs will be needed to confirm the clearance timestamp and the sequence of lane reopenings during the morning rush.

Location reporting varied across sources. An initial report identified a crash near mile marker 35 between the Brevard Road and Long Shoals Road exits that closed eastbound lanes. WLOS framed the incidents as occurring “on Interstate 26 westbound near Biltmore Park” and tied the delays to the Exit 37 corridor. A social media post noted that “The left eastbound lane on I-26, one mile east of Exit 37 and Long Shoals Road, has been closed as well. I-26 is expected to reopen by 7” (post truncated). A local outlet reported a westbound left-lane closure “about 2 miles past Exit 37 for N.C. 146.” Those divergent location calls suggest multiple separate incidents or conflicting field reports that require Patrol and NCDOT confirmation.

Officials reported no injuries. Sgt. Onderdonk said, “There were no injuries in any of the collisions. One lane of the interstate was closed for a short amount of time and has since reopened.” No hospital transports, citations, or charges linked to these crashes were reported in the available agency statements.

A Davis Law Group post reused media coverage but contained details not confirmed by officials, writing that “three vehicles were involved in the crash, and one of them overturned” and that the crash happened “Over the weekend,” phrasing that conflicts with the March 3 timing and the seven-vehicle total the Patrol provided. The law firm’s post also said traffic was “backed up in both directions for miles” and advised readers to call its offices; those claims are presented as the firm’s account and have not been verified by the Highway Patrol or NCDOT.

Traffic impacts were significant for the morning commute: left-lane closures eastbound and westbound near Exit 37 and mile marker 35 produced long backups and lane restrictions until crews cleared the scenes and reopened lanes. The WLOS photo gallery captioned the scene “I-26 reopens after 7-car crash causes major traffic delays near Long Shoals Road,” reflecting the seven-vehicle total cited by the Patrol. The Highway Patrol and NCDOT TIMS remain the authoritative sources for exact mile markers, timestamps, and official crash reports to reconcile eastbound/westbound discrepancies and confirm whether any vehicle overturned or citations were issued.