Three die in crash near county line
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on June 26, 2006 1:49 PM
NEWTON GROVE -- Three Wayne County residents died Sunday afternoon when the driver lost control of the truck they were riding in and struck another vehicle near Newton Grove, officials said.
The passengers, Heather Marie Tucker, 22, of Mobile Circle in Dudley, and James Martin, 32, of U.S. 13 near Mount Olive, were thrown from the 1986 Chevrolet pickup truck, which was driven by John Michael Dejone, 24, of U.S. 13 near Mount Olive.
The trooper's report said none of the people in the pickup truck were wearing a seat belt.
Troopers from the Sampson County post of the North Carolina Highway Patrol said the accident occurred about 1 p.m. Sunday on U.S. 13 near Harper Ham Road.
According to investigators, the pickup was traveling east when the vehicle crossed the center line and slid sideways into the path of an oncoming 2003 Cadillac Escalade, which was driven by Vivian Horton Swens, 52, of Charlotte.
Ms. Swens was treated and released at Sampson Regional Medical Center in Clinton.
The investigation into the accident is continuing, the Highway Patrol said.