A driver died at the scene after a head-on crash on NC-98 West near Stony Hill Road in Wake County, and the driver of the SUV they struck sustained only minor injuries. The crash shut down the busy road for several hours before it reopened to traffic.
According to the WRAL, the driver was heading west on NC-98 near Stony Hill Road when they nearly struck a patrol vehicle and another vehicle, according to the Wake County Sheriff's Office. The driver then crossed into the path of a white SUV traveling in the opposite direction, causing the head-on collision. The driver who caused the crash died at the scene, while the SUV driver sustained only minor injuries. Deputies are investigating the crash, and WRAL reported that it was unknown whether impairment was a factor.
Road Reopens After Hours-Long Closure
NC-98 was closed for several hours in the area near Stony Hill Road while deputies worked the scene, per the same report. The road has since reopened to traffic, and no further details about the identities of those involved have been released.
This is not the first time the stretch of NC-98 near Stony Hill Road has seen serious wrecks. In 2015, a dump truck overturned onto a car near Baya Vista Way and Stony Hill Road, killing 46-year-old Lisa Ortuno of Wake Forest after a red Nissan driven by 37-year-old Cheznee Johnson crossed the center line into the path of the truck, driven by Alfredo Carbajal, according to ABC11. That crash happened around 8 a.m. A separate three-car crash with injuries also closed NC-98 near Stony Hill Road just north of Falls Lake in 2020, shutting down the road for about 30 minutes with one lane closed in each direction before it reopened shortly after 6:20 p.m., as reported by CBS 17. Officials at the time had not released the cause of that crash or the severity of the injuries involved.
Separate Deadly Hit-and-Run Also Rattled the Area
NC-98 has seen another tragedy in recent memory, though in a different location. North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded around 6:30 p.m. Thursday to a deadly hit-and-run on NC-98 near Peed Road, where investigators said a westbound driver struck a pedestrian and left the scene, according to ABC11. The victim was identified as 61-year-old Phillip Keith Spence of Wake Forest, who died at the scene.
Investigators described the suspect vehicle as a late-1990s or early-2000s Ford Econoline van or F-250, likely damaged on the right front, per the same report. Anyone with information was urged to contact investigators at 919-733-4400. It is not known whether that case is connected to Sunday's crash near Stony Hill Road.
North Carolina maintains statewide crash-data and collision-information systems through the N.C. Department of Transportation and the N.C. State Highway Patrol, which tracks collisions investigated since May 16, 2013, searchable by county, name and report number. The sheriff's office has not released additional details about Sunday's crash near Stony Hill Road as the investigation continues.
