SMITHFIELD – One person died and a second person was seriously injured in a traffic accident Saturday night.
Around 8:15pm, a Ford pickup truck was traveling in the 2700 block of Buffalo Road near Eason Drive when the vehicle ran off the roadway in a curve, collided with a utility pole, and continued several hundred feet off the roadway before striking a tree.
The male driver died at the scene. A female passenger was seriously injured and rushed to the hospital. Her injuries were not considered to be life threatening. Their names were not immediately released.
The male victim was reportedly driving himself to the hospital for unknown reasons when the accident occurred.
The accident knocked down power lines across Buffalo Road.
Buffalo Road has been closed between Kellie Drive and US 70 due to the downed power lines. It is expected to take several hours before the broken utility pole and power lines can be replaced and the roadway fully reopened to traffic.
Johnston County EMS, Smithfield Fire Department, Selma Fire Department, State Highway Patrol, Johnston County Medical Examiner and Duke Power responded to the scene.
