06/17/12 — Princeton teen dies in traffic accident

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Princeton teen dies in traffic accident

By Staff Reports
Published in News on June 17, 2012 1:50 AM

One Johnston County teen is dead and another is at WakeMed in fair condition after a single-car accident Thursday night.

Sarah Elizabeth Earp, 16, was pronounced dead at the scene after the 2004 Chevrolet SUV she was driving ran off the left side of Princeton-Kenly Road into a ditch and then went airborne before hitting a tree just before 8 p.m., Highway Patrol spokesperson said Saturday.

The southeast bound car had run off the right side of the road previously and Ms. Earp, who was a rising junior at Princeton High School, overcorrected about a mile south of Kenly, according to the report.

Also involved in the crash was Stephanie Renai Heaton, 17, who was life-flighted to WakeMed, where she was listed in fair condition Saturday afternoon.

The report said the two were wearing seatbelts and that no alcohol was involved. It also noted that the air bags of the car did not deploy.

Driver inexperience and speed were listed as factors in the crash.