A serious early morning crash shutdown a section of Highway 50 in southern Johnston County. At 6:17am today, a white Chevy pickup truck was traveling southbound on Highway 50 at Holly Grove Road in the Meadow community when the driver, Gregory Neal, slammed into the back of a tractor trailer stopped at the intersection to make a left turn.
After striking the rear of the semi trailer, Neal’s pickup traveled into the northbound lane and was struck by a Ford flatbed truck operated by Jimmy Lopez. The pickup overturned in the highway while the flatbed truck came to rest in a field.
Neal sustained numerous injuries and was taken by ambulance to Wake Med with serious but non-life threatening injuries. Lopez also sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the semi was not injured
Neal was charged with driving while impaired and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Lopez was charged with driving without a license.
The NC Highway Patrol is still investigating the crash. Photos by John Payne
