Durham, NC (October 23, 2026) - A woman was pronounced dead at the scene after multiple vehicles struck her on Interstate 40 East near Davis Drive in Durham, North Carolina, according to the Durham Police Department.

Officers responded just before 1:30 a.m. Friday to a report that a pedestrian had been struck. When they arrived, they found the woman and determined that multiple vehicles had hit her. As of Friday morning, police had not identified the vehicles involved.

Eastbound I-40 closed between Exit 280 at Davis Drive and Exit 281 at Miami Boulevard during the investigation. The closure lasted nearly seven hours, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The affected stretch covered about a mile, and severe delays extended onto Interstate 885. The eastbound lanes reopened Friday morning.

Multiple Impacts and the Cause of Death

Durham police reported that multiple vehicles struck the woman on I-40 East and had not identified them as of Friday morning. Identifying those vehicles would help establish who was involved, but a wrongful-death inquiry also concerns how particular conduct contributed to the death. The sequence of impacts can help explain the vehicle movements, while medical findings can help explain the connection between those impacts and the fatal injuries. A witness who saw one impact may not have seen what happened immediately before or afterward, so the timing and viewpoint of each account matter.

North Carolina law requires a death caused by another person’s wrongful act, neglect or default under circumstances that would have supported an action had the person lived. A qualifying action is brought by the deceased person’s personal representative or collector. A free pedestrian accident case review can address whether the known circumstances support a possible claim and what remains unresolved about the conduct that caused the fatal injuries.

Questions While Vehicles Remain Unidentified

A family facing a fatal pedestrian loss does not need to reconstruct every impact before seeking legal guidance. A conversation with an attorney can help clarify whether a wrongful-death claim may be available and which questions about the collision need answers before that assessment can be made.