UPDATE: Charges filed in crash involving SUV and semi-truck

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The driver of a SUV that wound up crushed under a tractor-trailer’s load has been charged for causing the accident.

New Hanover County Dispatch says an employee at the State Port called in an accident involving a SUV and tractor-trailer. Dispatchers say the worker saw the accident around 2:30 p.m. on a surveillance camera.

Wilmington Police say the Ford Explorer was traveling on Shipyard Boulevard toward the State Port when it crashed into the semi, which was turning left from Burnett Boulevard onto Shipyard.

The SUV slid underneath the center part of the semi. The 18-wheeler was transporting a concrete bridge railing with a NC Department of Transportation sign on it.

WPD Ofc. Mark Anderson says the driver of the Explorer, Jonathan Chase Hodges, 25, walked away from the scene with only a few scratches. The driver of the semi was not injured.

Anderson says Hodges claims he had briefly looked down right before the crash and did not have time to stop. Police charged Hodges with possession of drug paraphernalia and careless and reckless driving.

According to video obtained by the Port of Wilmington, the driver of the semi had fully stopped before turning left into the intersection.