Police in North Carolina have reported that two people were killed in a motor vehicle collision in the northern training area of Fort Bragg on July 15. An eastbound vehicle was struck head-on by what appears to have been a negligent party engaged in an unsafe passing maneuver. The drivers of both vehicles were killed when their damaged vehicles were subsequently struck by a semi tractor-trailer.
According to a release from the Fort Bragg Public Affairs Office, the fatal collision occurred at approximately 3:00 p.m. on Vass Road, which is also known as North Carolina Highway 690 and Lobelia Road, near Gravel Pit Road. The release stated that the two vehicles that collided head on were both cut in half after being struck by the large truck.
Emergency response personnel pronounced the 28-year-old man who had been attempting to pass dead at the scene. The driver going eastbound was an 84-year-old man. He succumbed to his injuries after being transported by paramedics to a medical facility in Fayetteville. The driver of the semi-truck escaped the accident without injury.
Head-on collisions often lead to death or catastrophic injuries due to the combined speed of the vehicles involved. They also give other motorists little time to react or take evasive action. Those who lose a family member in such an accident may pursue civil remedies if the driver responsible was acting recklessly. When the negligent party is also killed, a personal injury attorney may bring a wrongful death lawsuit against their insurance company or estate. This kind of litigation may seek compensation for the financial hardship that a family could face after the loss of a wage earner.
Source: The Moore County Pilot, Two Die in Vehicle Accident in Fort Bragg Training Area , Staff report, July 16, 2014
Source: Red Springs Citizen, “Accident kills Parkton man“, July 22, 2014