PRINCETON – A passenger was killed in a single vehicle accident Thursday morning in eastern Johnston County. The collision was reported at 7:20am on Rains Mill Road just outside the Princeton city limits.
The State Highway Patrol (SHP) said a 1999 Chevrolet Camaro was traveling northbound on Rains Mill Road when the driver, Christopher Lee Capps, 38, of Princeton, told troopers a tire blew out causing him to lose control. The Camaro crossed the centerline, then ran off the roadway to the right, striking a ditch.
A passenger, Patrick Duffy, 38, of Princeton, was not wearing a seat belt. Duffy was ejected as the car struck the ditchbank. He died at the scene.
Troopers said Capps was wearing a seat belt and was not injured. Impairment is not suspected.
The SHP’s Accident Reconstruction Team will be assisting with the investigation to determine if speed was a factor.
No charges have been filed at this time.
Thursday’s crash was the first fatal traffic accident in Johnston County in 2022.
