An early-morning head-on collision on North Roxboro Street in north Durham left one person dead on Sunday, according to police. The wreck happened just after 1:35 a.m. at the intersection of N. Roxboro Street and E. Maynard Avenue and involved an SUV and a pickup truck that was towing a trailer. Officers shut down the roadway while investigators documented the scene.
According to CBS17, Durham police said a 2012 Acura MDX driven by 33-year-old Nerlyn Ayala-Lindo crossed the centerline while heading south on N. Roxboro Street and slammed head-on into a 2006 Ford F-150 that was pulling a trailer. Ayala-Lindo died at the scene, authorities told the outlet. Police did not immediately release information about the pickup driver or any possible factors that may have contributed to the crash.
Roxboro corridor has a history of crashes
The intersection sits on a stretch of Roxboro that city staff and residents have repeatedly flagged as a trouble spot, prompting plans for redesign and stepped-up enforcement. In May, two-way street shakeup coverage detailed Durham's approval of a design change that would convert parts of Roxboro and Mangum from one-way pairs back to two-way traffic in an effort to slow vehicles and cut down on collisions. City planning documents and walk audits also list the N. Roxboro and E. Maynard area among locations with a record of crashes and pedestrian safety concerns, according to a City of Durham report.
Police ask witnesses to come forward
Durham Police Department's Traffic and Crash Team is leading the investigation and is asking anyone who witnessed the crash, or who has dashcam or surveillance video from the area, to come forward. Investigators shared a direct contact - Investigator D. Monroe at (919) 560-4404 ext. 29489 - and said tips can also be submitted anonymously to CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200. The contact information was included in reporting by CBS17.
The deadly crash adds fuel to ongoing calls for safer street design and speed reduction along Roxboro, where advocates and city staff have pressed for both engineering fixes and stronger enforcement. City officials say design work on the conversion will require NCDOT approval and that public outreach and engineering phases are already underway. For official public reports and recent traffic and crash data from the department, see the Durham Police Department's public reports page.
