One person is dead following an accident Wednesday morning on Interstate 95 at Interstate 40 near Benson.
Around 9:45 AM, a 2015 Peterbuilt traveling northbound was slowing due to road construction ahead. As the tractor trailer began to stop, a 2005 Freightliner towing a flatbed trailer approached from the rear. The driver of the Freightliner veered to the right to avoid striking the Peterbuilt but was unsuccessful and clipped the right back portion. The Freightliner continued onto the right shoulder of I-95 where it rolled over on its side, ejecting the driver.
The driver, 39 year-old Samuel Oryan Clark of Albany, Georgia was killed. A female passenger in the vehicle was taken to Wake Medical Center with serious injuries. The driver of the Peterbuilt, 24 year-old Matthew Drew Hunter of Youngsville was not injured. Hunter was carrying Butane but none was released. However it was offloaded into another tanker before the truck was towed from the scene.
No charges are expected to be filed.
Northbound traffic on Interstate 95 was shut down and a detour, routing traffic onto I-40 then back onto I-95, was put into place until the wreckage could be cleared. It still created a traffic backup for several miles.
Johnston County EMS, Johnston County Emergency Management, the Benson Fire Department, NC Highway Patrol, NC Department of Transportation, and an environmental cleanup crew were among the agencies that responded. Photos courtesy John Payne.
