A collision Friday morning resulted in law enforcement officials calling for three helicopters, including Duke Lifeflight with two people thrown from their vehicles and airlifted to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill and another person transported to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville.

According to N.C. Highway Patrol trooper C. Strickland, the wreck involved four vehicles, a pickup truck, two passenger vehicles and a tractor-trailer. Although the investigation is ongoing and names were not released Friday, Strickland said from initial eyewitness reports, the pickup, which was traveling west on N.C. 24, between Roseboro and Autryville, moved left of center, nipping the tractor-trailer that pushed the pickup back into a passenger vehicle, also heading west. That contact caused the vehicle to hit another passenger vehicle, going east. Two people were ejected from vehicles, and the lone passenger, of the four vehicles involved, was transported to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, suffering non-life threatening injuries.

The two people that were airlifted, were reportedly listed in critical condition Friday evening.

Three of the four vehicles involved were towed from the scene; the tractor-trailer received minor damage.

Traffic on N.C. 24 was backed up for 40 minutes in both directions.

No charges have been filed in the incident, although, Strickland points out, the investigation is ongoing.

To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 123 or send e-mail to sisports@heartlandpublications.com.