Emergency personnel work to clear the scene of a U.S. 421 accident that claimed the lives of two people and injured two others, Thursday afternoon.
This 2002 Dodge pickup truck, driven by Boyette, 25, of Five Bridge Road, Clinton, was one of two involved in a head-on collision Thursday on U.S. 421 south. Boyette and the driver of the other vehicle were injured. At least one person was killed in the accident.
Courtesy Photo
Two airlifted to Wilmington after deadly 421 crash
Emergency personnel work to clear the scene of a U.S. 421 accident that claimed the lives of two people and injured two others, Thursday afternoon.
Courtesy Photo
Two Duplin County residents were killed and two others — one from Sampson — airlifted with serious injuries following a head-on collision Thursday afternoon on U.S. 421 (Taylors Bridge Highway).
Reports from the N.C. Highway Patrol show that Shawn Dale Davis, 32, of 424 Wells Brothers Road, Rose Hill, and Juan Alerria Calvo, 59, of 564 Blind Bridge Road, Magnolia, both passengers in one of the vehicles, were killed in the collision. The drivers of both vehicles — Matthew C. Boyette and Florie Hardy — were airlifted to New Hanover Hospital in Wilmington; their conditions are currently unknown.
The collision happened at 4:11 p.m. Thursday on U.S. 421 near the intersection of NC 903.
An investigation into the cause of the fatal wreck is ongoing, but the Patrol reported that a 2002 Dodge pickup truck being driven by Boyette, 25, of Five Bridge Road, Clinton, was traveling south on US 421 when it went left of center, colliding with a 2007 Toyota passenger vehicle being driven by Hardy, 58, of 424 Wells Brothers Road, Rose Hill, who was traveling north on 421.
“We are still investigating, but we can release that one of the two total passengers (Davis) from Vehicle 2 (Hardy’s Toyota) was found deceased on scene,” said Sgt. Eric Mellott, Sampson Highway Patrol, in a written release about the accident.
Davis, reports show, was sitting in the front passenger seat when the deadly collision happened.
Just a few short hours later, Mellot updated his information, noting the death of the second passenger.
Mellott noted that speed nor impairment were believed to be a factor in the accident. He did say that none of those involved in the accident were restrained.
Thursday’s fatalities mark the 13th and 14th highway deaths in Sampson County since January.
Reach Michael B. Hardison at 910-249-4231. Follow us on Twitter at @SamsponInd, like us on Facebook, and check out our Instagram at @thesampsonindependent.