A driver is in custody after a head-on crash shut down North Roxboro Street in Durham overnight, with deputies performing a sobriety test at the scene near Sandlewood Drive before the road reopened just after 4 a.m.
According to WRAL, the WRAL Breaking News Tracker arrived near Sandlewood Drive at about 3:30 a.m. as deputies and troopers were investigating the crash scene. Deputies took one driver into custody and administered a sobriety test, though the outcome of that test has not been disclosed. The outlet reported that it was still working to learn whether anyone was hurt in the crash and what charges the driver may ultimately face.
Road Reopens Before Sunrise
North Roxboro Street reopened just after 4 a.m., the station's report indicates, allowing traffic to resume in the area near Sandlewood Drive after the overnight closure. No further details about the vehicles involved or the extent of any damage have been released.
North Roxboro Street has seen its share of serious wrecks this year. A separate crash farther north on the corridor, at Preston-Andrews Road, closed North Roxboro Road at Orange Factory Road for more than three hours before it reopened, per the same outlet's reporting, and the WRAL Breaking News Tracker at that scene saw at least two heavily damaged cars and a large emergency response.
A Deadlier Crash Earlier This Year
In June, a fatal head-on collision struck the same stretch of roadway at its intersection with East Maynard Avenue. Durham police responded to that crash at approximately 1:37 a.m. and later determined that an Acura MDX, driven by 33-year-old Nerlyn Ayala-Lindo of Durham, crossed the center line and struck a 2006 Ford F-150 head-on, the same source reported. Ayala-Lindo was pronounced dead at the scene in that incident.
What North Carolina Law Says About Impaired Driving
It remains unknown whether impairment played any role in Wednesday morning's crash, and no charges have been announced. Under North Carolina law, drivers can face impaired driving charges under North Carolina General Statutes § 20-138.1, which the state legislature's text describes as governing when a person commits the offense of impaired driving.
WRAL said it continues to work to determine whether anyone was injured in the crash and what charges, if any, the driver taken into custody may face. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
