A Saturday evening crash on Capital Boulevard in north Raleigh sent two women to the hospital and shut down one of the city's busiest corridors for hours after a pickup truck T-boned an SUV at the intersection with Highwoods Boulevard. Officers were called out around 7:20 p.m., and both women inside the SUV were taken to a nearby hospital, one with head trauma and broken bones listed in critical condition and the other with injuries described as non-life-threatening. State and local crews kept lanes closed into the overnight hours while investigators documented the scene and cleared the wreckage.
Arrest and charges
Police arrested 37-year-old Chancellor Van Oden at the scene. Court records, as reported by CBS17, show he is charged with felony serious injury by vehicle, driving while impaired and felony possession of cocaine, along with driving while license revoked, resisting a public officer, failure to reduce speed and unsafe tires. According to those records, officers conducted a blood test that confirmed he was under the influence and say he first gave them a false name along with a fictitious California ID. Van Oden remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon at the Wake County Justice Center.
Capital Boulevard's safety record
The wreck happened on a stretch of Capital Boulevard the city has repeatedly labeled high-risk. A recent City of Raleigh Manager's Update ranks several Capital Boulevard intersections among the area's top crash locations and outlines funded safety projects already in the pipeline for the corridor. The city document points to work on traffic signals, lighting and pedestrian protections that is either in design or has secured construction funding. All of it folds into Raleigh's Vision Zero push to cut serious injuries and deaths on city streets.
What investigators say
Officers told CBS17 that a red pickup truck hit the front driver's side of a silver SUV as it attempted to turn onto Capital Boulevard, injuring the two women inside and sending them to the hospital. One victim was described as critically injured, while the other's injuries were listed as non-life-threatening. The North Carolina Department of Transportation reported multiple lanes were shut down near the intersection and that the roadway stayed closed into the early morning hours while crews worked the scene.
Legal next steps
Court records and police reports will guide any prosecution, and Wake County prosecutors will determine whether to seek indictments on the felony counts. The defendant is set for a Monday appearance at the Wake County Justice Center, with additional filings and a formal charging decision expected as the case moves through the Wake County court system. We will update this report as new court records and official statements become available.
