Four people received minor injuries in a chain reaction rear end collision on N. Brightleaf Boulevard (US 301) in Smithfield.
Police, Fire and EMS personnel responded to the 1:07pm accident on N. Brightleaf near the intersection with Bridge Street.
Smithfield Police said 89 year-old Willie Louis Blackman of Four Oaks was traveling southbound on Brightleaf in his 2016 Buick when he confused the brake pedal with the gas pedal. While traveling at 35mph he struck the rear of a 2011 Dodge truck driven by Christopher Warren Cangemi, 57, of Clayton. His truck was then pushed into a 1998 GMC SUV driven by Richard Terry Baumgartner, 66, of Clayton. The SUV then collided with the rear of a 2010 Toyota SUV operated by Wilma Jean Withrow, 75, of Four Oaks.
All four drivers complained of minor injuries. Blackman and Cangemi were transported by Johnston County EMS to Wake Medical Center for treatment.
Officer M.A. Jernigan cited Blackman for failure to reduce speed.
Photos by John Payne
