BENSON – One person was injured in a noontime crash in southern Johnston County. The single car accident occurred on Highway 50 South near Holly Grove Road.
A white SUV was traveling southbound on Highway 50 when the female driver drifted off the pavement to the right into a washed out area next to the roadway. The driver overcorrected, crossed the centerline, struck a ditch on the left, and overturned in the front yard of a home.
The driver was pinned in the overturned SUV and had to be extricated by personnel from the Meadow Fire Department. She was rushed by Johnston County EMS to WakeMed for treatment of serious injuries.
The Highway Patrol said the washed out area next to the pavement contributed to the collision and the road hazard will be reported to the NC Department of Transportation. The gully measured approximately 100 foot in length and six inches deep.
A nearby resident said, just a few weeks ago, the gully caused a driver to lose control and strike the ditch. They said there have been several close calls with other drivers who drifted off the pavement into the same washed out area.
The DOT fills with gravel but it doesn’t last. They need to make a permanent widening of Hwy 50.