Speed was a factor in a fatal wreck Friday evening on Tart Road off Highway 96 South in the Meadow community near the Sampson County line.
A white Chevy Silverado pickup truck traveled off the rural roadway in a curve, struck a ditch and overturned multiple times before striking a large tree on the driver’s side door. The driver of the truck was ejected as the truck burst into flames.
Nearby residents pulled the driver, 52 year-old William Washington French III of Dunn, away from the flames and began CPR. However, French succumbed from his injuries at the scene.
French was the only occupant in the truck. The accident remains under investigation by Trooper D.K. Douglas.
The Meadow Fire Department and Johnston County EMS also responded to the scene. Photos by John Payne
