ROSEBORO – One person was killed in a July 4 traffic accident in Sampson County.
The 5:22pm collision was reported on Butler Island Road near Mill Creek Church Road, just south of Roseboro.
The Highway Patrol said Tomas Chavez Cruz, age 37, of Salemburg was operating a 2007 Cadillac Escalade northbound on Butler Island Road. The vehicle crossed the centerline and sideswiped a southbound 2024 Chevy Equinox driven by Heather Danielle Shields, 43, of Roseboro.
After the vehicles sideswiped, Cruz overcorrected, lost control, ran off the roadway on the left, struck a ditch, and overturned as it struck a utility pole. He died at the scene.
Shields stopped her vehicle and was not injured.
Troopers said speed was a contributing factor for the Cadillac. No charges were filed.
The accident marked the 12th fatality on Sampson County roadways for the year.
