One Teen Dead, Another Seriously Injured In Sampson County Crash

SAMPSON COUNTY, N.C. — A 17-year-old passenger was killed and an 18-year-old driver was seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash Sunday morning, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

The crash happened around 9:18 a.m. on Airport Road near Summer Tree Court, outside the Clinton city limits. Troopers said a 2005 Toyota SUV was traveling south when it ran off the right side of the road.

The driver, identified as Aiden Lee Reams, 18, of Salemburg, lost control of the vehicle and overcorrected, causing the SUV to cross the roadway, leave the left side of the road, and strike a ditch and a tree, troopers said.

The passenger, Carson A. Faircloth, 17, of Clinton, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Reams was transported to WakeMed in Raleigh with serious injuries.

Authorities said speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash. Both occupants were wearing seat belts. Impairment is not suspected, troopers said. The collision remains under investigation.