A tragic turn of events unfolded yesterday afternoon near Holly Springs, culminating in one passenger's death and charges against the vehicle's driver. The incident occurred just shy of 3 p.m. on Rouse Road, within striking distance of the Powell Ridge Road intersection. WRAL reports that both the driver and the passenger were not wearing seat belts when the vehicle veered off the road, resulting in a crash that expelled both occupants from the car.
Marshall Stiles, identified as the 35-year-old passenger from Angier, was declared dead at the scene. In a statement obtained by CBS17, the Driver, suffering from non-life-threatening injuries after ejected alongside Stiles, was subsequently hospitalized at WakeMed. Adding to the day's calamities, a dump truck loaded with gravel was also involved in a secondary wreck at the site, maneuvering to avoid a collision with a fire truck and subsequently careening off the roadway — although no injuries resulted from this encounter.
Officials are currently not suspecting speed or impairment as contributing factors in this deadly outcome, yet the driver now faces a series of charges. Among them are misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and driving with a suspended license, according to WRAL. A failure to maintain lane and a seatbelt violation also appear on the list of charges.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into these sequential mishaps with the assistance of Chopper 11, according to ABC11, which surveyed the aftermath capturing images of the white SUV and the dump truck stilled at the scene. The truck was found partially in a creek, when the aerial footage was taken, still discernible were the track marks slicing through an adjacent field.
