A 47-year-old Raleigh woman died Wednesday morning after her SUV ran a stop sign and slammed into a dump truck at a rural Nash County intersection, sending the massive truck careening off the road and into a fence, a sign and several trees. Shayla Miree Del Giudice was pronounced dead at the scene, located between the communities of Bailey and Middlesex.
Troopers with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol were dispatched to the crash at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, October 14, according to Patrol 1st Sgt. Kearstin Howald, as reported by the Rocky Mount Telegram. Del Giudice had been driving a 2019 Toyota SUV south on Stone Heritage Road when she failed to stop at the posted stop sign at the four-way intersection with Alternate U.S. 264, troopers said. Her SUV collided with a 2023 Mack dump truck that was traveling east on Alternate U.S. 264, coming to rest on the eastbound shoulder of the highway.
Dump Truck Driver Hospitalized After Leaving the Roadway
The impact sent the dump truck off the right side of the roadway, where it struck a sign, a fence and several trees before coming to rest off the pavement, Howald said. The truck's driver was taken to WakeMed Raleigh for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash. The Telegram's report, citing Howald, does not specify the extent of those injuries.
The dump truck driver was taken to WakeMed Raleigh for treatment. WakeMed Raleigh Campus operates Wake County's only Level I Trauma Center and is one of just seven verified Level I trauma facilities statewide, according to WakeMed.
Seatbelt Status and Right-of-Way Questions
Del Giudice reportedly was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, per the same account from troopers. North Carolina law requires drivers and front-seat passengers to buckle up, with fines and court costs attached for noncompliance, according to Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp. National data underscores the stakes of that requirement: the National Safety Council reports that a properly worn lap and shoulder belt cuts the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent for front-seat occupants in passenger vehicles.
The crash also turns on North Carolina's right-of-way law at stop-controlled intersections. Under N.C. General Statute 20-158(b)(1), drivers approaching a stop sign must come to a complete stop and yield to traffic on the main road, according to Randall Law. Troopers have attributed the collision to Del Giudice's failure to stop at that sign, though it remains unknown whether sightline obstructions at the Stone Heritage Road intersection played any role.
A Heavy Truck, a Weekday Morning
Federal data shows that 71 percent of large trucks involved in fatal collisions nationwide are heavy trucks exceeding 26,000 pounds in gross vehicle weight, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The crash adds to a troubling tally for Nash County roads. NCDOT's 2023 Nash County profile lists 23 fatal crashes and 2,650 total reportable crashes, with a Severity Index ranking of 52, per data from the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
