Five people were transported to the hospital for treatment following a two vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon in Downtown Smithfield. The accident was reported at 2:49pm at the intersection of North Fourth Street and Hancock Street.
Smithfield Police said a 2007 Nissan SUV driven by Genir Alvar Lopez-Fuentes, 46, of Willow Spring pulled from a stop sign at the intersection and was struck in the passenger side by a 2017 Ford truck operated by Terry Wayne Eldridge, 56, of Newton Grove. After the impact the SUV overturned on its side.
Eldridge was transported to Johnston Medical Center in Smithfield for treatment.
Lopez-Fuentes and three passengers in his SUV, ages 9, 15, and 41 were transported to Wake Medical Center. None of the injuries were considered serious.
According to an accident report, Lopez-Fuentes told police he had stopped for a stop sign at the intersection and thought the other driver also had to stop even though there was no stop sign for the truck’s direction of travel. Lopez-Fuentes was cited for a safe movement violation.
The Nissan SUV sustained $15,000 in damage. The Ford truck, owned by the NC Department of Agriculture, sustained approximately $8,000 in damage.
