Fiery Wreck Leaves One Dead, One Critically Injured

CLAYTON – One person was killed and another critically injured early Sunday morning in a single-vehicle crash.

Troopers responded at 1:52 a.m. Sunday to a motor vehicle collision on Powhatan Road near Pocahontas Trail, between Clayton and Wilson’s Mills.

Investigators said a 2016 Dodge Charger Hellcat traveling east at an extremely high rate of speed crossed the center line and ran off the left side of the road. The vehicle struck a ditch and a tree before traveling back onto the roadway and catching fire.

The driver, identified as Alexis Lucio Quintanilla, 28, of Smithfield, was declared dead at the scene after the fire was extinguished.

A female passenger, Melissa Arjona, 34, of Gainesville, Georgia, was transported to WakeMed in Raleigh and later transferred to UNC Chapel Hill’s Burn Center, where she was listed in critical condition. Troopers said it is unclear whether she was ejected from the vehicle or was able to escape the wreckage on her own.

Excessive speed was determined to be a contributing factor in the crash. Troopers said it is unknown whether seat belts were in use due to extensive fire damage.

Alcohol involvement has not been determined.

The crash remains under investigation.