Officials say a driver has died after going around a barricade on a hurricane-damaged North Carolina highway that became a symbol of Helene’s destruction.

HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. — The driver who plummetted to her death after going around a "Road Closed" sign and concrete barriers on I-40 and drivbing off the road into a large hole on Saturday has been identified, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. The victim has been identified as 62-year-old Patricia Mahoney from Southern Pines.

The highway has been shut down since Hurricane Helene's floodwaters swept away extensive sections along the Pigeon River.