Driver found dead after car falls off I-495

The Raleigh Police Department responded to a single vehicle wreck on I-495 near I-440 early Sunday morning where the driver was found dead.

Darlene Bullock Branch, 42, of Raleigh, was the driver and only occupant of the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the wreck report.

Officers responded to the scene at about 1:44 a.m. Sunday.

Branch was driving between New Hope Road and I-440, police said. The vehicle veered to the right of the roadway and hit a concrete barrier, traveling several hundred feet with the barrier before falling several stories off the interstate, the report said. The vehicle struck several trees and a dumpster before coming to rest below the interstate.

Branch was estimated to be driving at about 80 mph, according to the report. The authorized speed limit was 70 mph.

Drugs or alcohol may have been involved, the report said.

This story was originally published November 12, 2017 at 12:48 PM with the headline "Driver found dead after car falls off I-495."