A Middlesex woman is facing several charges including failure to properly restrain three children in her Jeep following a serious accident Monday morning in northern Johnston County.
The wreck was reported at 8:18am on Highway 39 North at Highway 231.
The Highway Patrol said a 1998 Jeep Cherokee SUV driven by Diana Rivas, 45, was traveling west on Highway 231 and had come to a stop for a stop sign. At the same time, a 1998 Freightliner wrecker, operated by Justin Secor, 34, of Zebulon was traveling south on Highway 39. Rivas pulled her Jeep from the intersection and struck the side of the wrecker.
The Jeep spun around in the roadway. Two of three children in the SUV were completely ejected. The wrecker came to rest off the highway.
Rivas’ two children, an 11 year-old girl seated in the front right seat and a 13 year-old boy in the right rear seat were not wearing seat belts and were ejected. They were taken to Wake Medical Center for serious but non-life threatening injuries. Her nephew, a 4 year-old boy was seated in the left rear seat, was not in a child restraint device but was not ejected. He was taken to Wake Medical Center with minor injuries.
Rivas was charged by Trooper C.E. Summerlin with failure to yield, driving without a license, failure to secure a passenger under 16 in a seat belt, and failure to secure a child under 8 in a child restraint system.
Secor, the driver of the OTW Transport wrecker, was not injured. JoCoReport.com Photos
