The early morning calm along Interstate 85 near the Concord airport was shattered just after sunrise Friday when a wrong-way crash left two drivers dead and triggered a chain of wrecks that shut down the highway for hours.
Authorities say the crash happened shortly after 5 a.m. on March 6 along I-85 South near Exit 49 at Bruton Smith Boulevard, a stretch of road between Interstate 485 and Poplar Tent Road. State troopers said a 2017 Ford Focus driven by 25-year-old Ryan Stamper entered the interstate from the Exit 49 ramp but traveled the wrong direction, heading north in the southbound lanes.
Moments later, the Ford collided head-on with a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe driven by 54-year-old Robert Muellemann. The crash happened in the far-left southbound lane, leaving both vehicles severely damaged and bringing traffic to an abrupt halt in the dark early-morning commute.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene, but both Stamper and Muellemann were pronounced dead at the site of the collision. Officials confirmed that each man was alone in his vehicle at the time of the crash.
The violent impact quickly set off chaos on the highway. Investigators said at least three additional crashes occurred as other drivers tried to avoid the wreckage and sudden traffic slowdown. Two people involved in those secondary crashes suffered minor injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The southbound lanes of Interstate 85 remained closed for several hours as emergency responders worked to clear the vehicles and investigators documented the scene. Traffic was diverted away from the area, causing significant delays for morning commuters moving through the busy corridor near the Concord Mills area and the regional airport.
State troopers said investigators are now working with the medical examiner’s office to determine whether impairment played any role in the crash. Officials have not yet confirmed what caused Stamper to enter the interstate in the wrong direction.
For families connected to both drivers, the tragedy unfolded in a matter of seconds on a highway that thousands use every day. Two lives ended in a moment that also rippled through the surrounding community and morning traffic across the region.
As the investigation continues, authorities say the focus now turns to understanding how the wrong-way entry happened and whether any factors contributed to the deadly collision.
