FOUR OAKS – One person died and three others were seriously injured on Interstate 95 in Johnston County. The three vehicle collision was reported by a state trooper who drove up on the crash near the 84 mile marker, between Benson and Four Oaks.
According to the State Highway Patrol, a tan Toyota passenger car was traveling southbound, around 1:30pm Sunday, when the driver lost control, skidded into the median, and through the cable barrier. The Toyota continued into the northbound lanes and was immediately t-boned on the driver’s side by a northbound black Dodge Ram pickup.
A Fayetteville, NC truck driver who witnessed the crash said the Ram pickup was instantly struck by a white SUV also traveling northbound, causing the pickup to overturn and come to rest on its wheels.
A work van traveling northbound veered into the median to avoid striking the three wrecked vehicles.
The driver of the Toyota car died at the scene.
Two occupants in the pickup and the driver of the SUV were seriously injured and transported to Wake Med by Johnston County EMS. The occupants in the work van were not involved in the collision and were not injured.
Northbound lanes were closed for nearly 2-1/2 hours, backing up traffic for several miles. One lane was reopened just after 4:00pm and both lanes were reopened by 4:30pm.
The names of those involved, including the deceased driver of the Toyota, has not been released.
Benson Fire, Four Oaks Fire, Johnston County EMS, and the NC Department of Transportation responded.
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This story has been updated
How in the year 2024 is a small car able to cross the median of an interstate? Now destroyed families. DOT with no common sense. Makes me sick to my stomach!
How does the DOT bear any blame for this? Barriers are in place but are not 100% fool-proof, whether in place in this state or any other.
@Bob: Really?!? You want to blame the DOT? More than 20,000 cars drive that stretch each day *with no issues.* I’d say it’s pretty obvious who is at fault, and it’s not the DOT. But your response illustrates the real problem today: Snowflakes who want to blame everyone, instead of being responsible.
You didn’t read my response correctly; I’m certainly not blaming the DOT, I’m asking SB55 why they are blaming DOT. Barriers work very well most of the time, but they aren’t always a deterrent to careless, distracted, sleepy, etc. drivers.
You misunderstand; I’m not blaming DOT at all. Just the opposite, I’m asking SB55 why/how they think DOT is to blame. Barriers can be a great benefit in reducing the number of or the seriousness of an accident, but they are not 100% foolproof against impaired, distracted, sleepy, or just plain careless drivers.