A late-night dash away from a downtown hit-and-run ended in tragedy early Saturday, when police say 25-year-old Jefferson Lumby Zeledon lost control of his car, flipped, and crashed into a wooded area in Greensboro. Officers responding to the wreck near South Benbow Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive found Zeledon dead at the scene. Two passengers in the car were rushed to a hospital with serious injuries. According to investigators, the vehicle came to rest in the trees after slamming into a parked car at the intersection.
Police account and alleged hit-and-run
Investigators say the deadly crash was the final act in a chaotic sequence that started with a separate hit-and-run in downtown Greensboro, according to The Charlotte Observer. Police report Zeledon sped south on South Benbow Road in an Acura RSX and, as he approached the T-intersection at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, hit a parked Chevy Cobalt. The impact flipped the Acura and sent it into the nearby woods. Officials have not released any further details about the earlier downtown collision. A crash reconstruction investigation is underway, according to WXII.
Investigation and injuries
Police believe both speed and impairment played a role in the crash, and the roadway was temporarily shut down while first responders worked the scene, WXII reports. The two passengers were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. Authorities say Zeledon’s family has been notified, and the Greensboro Police Department’s Crash Reconstruction Unit is continuing its investigation.
What investigators are looking for
Detectives with the Crash Reconstruction Unit are now piecing together how the reported downtown hit-and-run connects to the fatal rollover on South Benbow Road. The Charlotte Observer reports that police have not said whether anyone else has been identified or charged in the earlier collision. Officials say more details will be released once reconstruction work and the broader investigation move forward.
