DURHAM, North Carolina — A woman was killed after being struck multiple times by unidentified vehicles on eastbound Interstate 40 near Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Friday, October 23, 2026, Durham police said in reporting by WRAL, carried in full in a second report published the same day.

Source: WRAL via YouTube (Durham police)

Durham police said officers responded at about 1:30 a.m. to a report of a pedestrian being hit on I-40 near Davis Drive. They found the woman dead at the scene and determined that multiple vehicles of unknown identity had struck her, according to the reports. Police did not release her identity in the reports, and no vehicle description was given.

Source: Demokratis (WRAL / Durham police)

Authorities closed eastbound I-40 for about a mile between Exit 280 at Davis Drive and Exit 281 at South Miami Boulevard while investigators worked. The closure caused severe congestion on I-40 and on Interstate 885 during the morning commute. WRAL's Breaking News Tracker observed multiple officers on the interstate before 4 a.m., and WRAL reporter Shaun Gallagher arrived at about 6 a.m. as backups stretched for miles; Sky 5 aerial coverage at 7:15 a.m. showed extensive lines of vehicles. Traffic began improving when one lane reopened at about 8 a.m., and all eastbound lanes had reopened by 8:30 a.m., the reports said.

Source: WRAL via YouTube