A 20-year-old man died after being thrown from his vehicle in a single-car crash near Jacksonville late Friday, with state troopers estimating his speed at between 80 and 90 mph. Nicholas Venth was taken to a nearby military hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to WITN, the crash happened around 11:30 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Dremmer Kellum Road and Jennifer Drive, where the posted speed limit is 45 mph. Troopers estimated Venth's speed at between 80 and 90 mph and said he was ejected from the vehicle, the station reported. Cedar News also reported the speed estimate, attributing it to troopers.
Venth was transported to Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, where he was pronounced dead. The facility is a Level III Trauma Center and the U.S. Navy's first trauma center located on a Marine Corps installation, providing emergency care to both active-duty personnel and civilians across Eastern North Carolina, according to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. The hospital serves five surrounding counties, and the nearest trauma center is more than an hour away.
Another Fatal Onslow County Crash
In August, Onslow Fire/EMS and state troopers responded to another fatal collision on U.S. 258 near Richlands, after which the surviving suspect was also transported to Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune for care before arrest, as Hoodline reported in its piece on the Richlands crash.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation reported that speeding was a contributing factor in 23.1% of all traffic fatalities across the state in 2023, according to Connect NCDOT. That same year, Onslow County recorded 3,946 total motor vehicle crashes, resulting in 28 traffic fatalities and 1,677 non-fatal injuries, per the agency's 2023 Traffic Crash Facts.
Ejection Risk Tied to Restraint Use
Restraint Status Not Released Troopers have not released whether Venth was restrained at the time of the crash.
Statistics compiled from NCDOT crash reports and cited by the Ricci Law Firm show the city records more than 1,450 traffic collisions per year, averaging four deaths and over 560 injuries annually.
No further details on the cause of Venth's loss of control have been released, and it remains unclear whether road conditions, mechanical issues, or impairment played any role in the crash.
