A person who stopped to help a stranded driver on westbound I-540 in Raleigh was struck and killed late Saturday night, in a crash that shut down lanes near the Triangle Town Boulevard exit for hours. Police say the Good Samaritan had already gotten out of their own vehicle to render aid when a westbound driver hit both them and their car.
According to WRAL, the crash happened near the Triangle Town Boulevard exit around 11 p.m. on Saturday. Raleigh police said the Good Samaritan had exited their vehicle to assist a driver who was stopped in the median before a westbound driver struck both the helper and their car.
Lanes Closed, Few Details Released
The exact circumstances of the crash remain unknown, the outlet reports, and westbound lanes of I-540 near the scene were still closed as of midnight. No information has been released about the identity of the Good Samaritan, the driver who struck them, or the motorist who was originally stranded in the median. The station noted it was continuing to work to learn more about the developing story.
The tragedy echoes similar cases that unfolded on highways far from Raleigh in September and October. In Mobile, Alabama, a man identified as Jayan Mehul Patel was struck and killed after he stopped to help the driver of an overturned vehicle near the Interstate 10 exit ramp at U.S. 90, according to al.com. Police there said that crash happened around 11:30 p.m. and involved multiple vehicles, including the one that overturned after striking a guardrail; the driver who struck Patel fled the scene and had not been identified.
A Pattern Seen Beyond North Carolina
In Fort Worth, Texas, an 18-year-old identified by a family friend as Habib Dwabe was struck and killed while helping people involved in a minor accident on I-35W near Felix Street at around 2:30 a.m., per FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth. The driver who initially hit Dwabe was arrested at the scene and charged with intoxication manslaughter, and police said they were still investigating whether other drivers bore liability in his death. All lanes of that highway were shut down for roughly four hours.
Raleigh itself saw another fatal, fiery crash on I-540 West over the summer. CBS 17 reported that 56-year-old Joseph Murrin III was charged with an unsafe lane change violation and misdemeanor death by motor vehicle after a Subaru Forester he was driving collided with a Chevrolet S10 on July 31, killing 22-year-old occupant Antonio Aguirre Vargas when the truck caught fire. Police said the Subaru had attempted to move from the right lane into the left, prompting the Chevrolet driver to swerve and overcorrect.
What North Carolina Law Says About Stopped Vehicles
North Carolina law, under G.S. 20-157, addresses how drivers must behave when approaching emergency vehicles and personnel assisting motorists along the roadway, according to the North Carolina General Assembly. State highway-safety guidance has similarly described the risks faced by people rendering aid to motorists with wrecked or disabled vehicles on the roadside. No charges or additional findings have been released in connection with Saturday's crash on I-540, and police have not said when the closed westbound lanes were expected to reopen.
