A head on collision sent three people to the hospital with serious injuries. The accident was reported at 5:44pm Tuesday on Swift Creek Road at Short Journey Road near the Johnston County Airport.
According to the NC Highway Patrol, a fire truck was on Short Journey Road approaching Swift Creek Road responding to an emergency call. The fire truck came up behind a 2005 GMC SUV driven by Brennan Marshall Rabil, 17, of Clayton.
Rabil attempted to move out of the way for the fire truck but in doing so, troopers said he failed to stop at the intersection and collided head on with a 2005 Chevy truck traveling southbound on Swift Creek Road.
Rabil was transported to Wake Medical Center with serious injuries.
The driver of the Chevy truck, Richard Burnette Messer, 50, of Four Oaks and a passenger, John Joseph Chopski IV, 17, of Smithfield were also seriously injured. Messer was taken to Johnston Medical Center in Smithfield and Chopski was taken to Wake Medical Center.
According to an accident report, Rabil was traveling at an estimated 10mph and Messer 55mph at the time of impact. The GMC SUV was knocked backwards 57 feet into a ditch. The Chevy traveled 96 feet coming to rest in a ditch on the opposite side of Swift Creek Road. The fire truck was not involved in the crash
Trooper Z.B. Price cited Rabil with failure to yield and a seat belt violation. Both vehicles were totaled in the crash.
