Princeton High School senior dies in crash
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on March 11, 2008 1:55 PM
A Princeton High School senior died Sunday after missing a stop sign on Brogden Road, just a few miles southeast of Smithfield, the state Highway Patrol reported.
Mamie Katlyn Bell, 18, was driving a 2001 Toyota south on Old Sanders Road, and then tried to make a left onto Brogden Road without stopping at a stop sign, Johnston County Highway Patrol secretary Wendy Stancil said.
After Ms. Bell's car entered the intersection, her driver's side door was struck by a Ford Explorer driven by Martin Fernandez Herrerra, 31, who was headed westbound on Brogden Road, Mrs. Stancil reported.
The accident took place just before 6 p.m. on Sunday, according to a preliminary report, Mrs. Stancil said.
After the collision, Ms. Bell's car came to rest off the side of the roadway, while Herrerra's Ford Explorer crossed the center line and careened into a ditch off the left side of the road, the secretary reported.
Herrerra was found to be driving without a license, and was charged, but no moving violation charges have yet been filed because of the nature of the wreck, Mrs. Stancil said.
Ms. Bell's passenger and one of two passengers in Herrerra's vehicle were transported to Johnston Memorial Hospital for evaluation.
Brogden Road is a country route that leads from Smithfield to Princeton, then becomes Old Smithfield Road near the Rosewood area near Raynor Town.