CLAYTON — A man with ties to Sampson County was killed along with a teenage stepson as the two drove in Johnston County Sunday. On Wednesday, investigating Highway Patrol authorities said the man simply lost control of his vehicle, with no other extenuating factors discovered in the deadly collision.

Nathan Jerome Hudson, 43, and Jared Austin Johnson, 19, were fatally injured as a result of the wreck, which occurred minutes after 6 p.m. about 1.4 miles west of Clayton.

According to reports, Hudson was behind the wheel of a 2001 Mitsubishi passenger car as it traveled east on Winston Road moments before the wreck. The vehicle lost control, running off the right side of the roadway before coming back onto the roadway. The Mitsubishi then crossed the centerline and ran off the left side of the road, slamming into a guardrail.

After striking the guardrail, the vehicle careened off the steel, straight into the path of a 1997 Chevrolet pickup traveling the opposite direction on Winston Road.

The driver of the pickup, Cirilo Dela Luz-Medina, 22, of Clayton, suffered non-life-threatening injuries as a result. Hudson and Johnson were later pronounced dead.

The collision happened in close proximity to the home where Hudson and Johnson lived on Carlton Street, less than a mile away from the wreck scene. Luz-Medina, a resident of Winston Road, lives just as close.

Highway Patrol authorities said Wednesday that neither alcohol nor speed was believed to be a factor in the wreck. The vehicle occupied by Turkey native Hudson and his stepson was estimated to be traveling the posted speed limit of 55 mph at the time, as was the pickup Luz-Medina was driving.

Each of the three men involved in the wreck were wearing seat belts.

“It doesn’t look like anybody did anything wrong,” said a spokeswoman for the N.C. Highway Patrol in Johnston County. “He probably just overcorrected.”

NCHP investigating death of Hobbton grad

As numerous friends and family members packed the Hobbton High School auditorium Wednesday to remember Zachary Bryan Howell, N.C. Highway Patrol officials in Wayne County are still investigating the deadly wreck that claimed the life of the 2008 Hobbton graduate.

No charges have been filed in the fatal single-car collision. On Wednesday, Highway Patrol Sgt. K.W. Cooke was mum about details of the wreck and the current investigation into it, which he said is still ongoing.

According to initial reports, Howell, 19, of 4964 Hobbton Hwy., Clinton, was a passenger in a 2008 Nissan Altima that was traveling east on N.C. 55 in the early morning hours Saturday.

The Altima lost control and flipped off the right side of the roadway and into an open field approximately 6.5 miles from Mount Olive. After exiting the roadway, the Altima struck a ditch and slammed into a utility pole before overturning.

Contrary to reports from other media outlets following the wreck identifying Howell as the driver of the Altima, Howell was, in fact, a passenger in the car at the time of the wreck, authorities said.

When reached Wednesday, Cooke said he could only confirm that Howell lost his life as a result of the wreck. No other details would be released until the investigation was concluded, he said.

“It’s still under investigation,” Cooke said of the incident. “It’s going to be a while on this one. It’s won’t be this week, I can tell you that.”

Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 121, or by email at sicrime@intrstar.net.