UPDATE: Woman who died in wreck on Spence and Royall avenues is identified
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on January 15, 2018 3:47 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Authorities are investigating a wreck at the intersection of Spence Avenue and Royall Avenue that left a woman dead this morning.
Police said 64-year-old Vera Watkins, of Goldsboro, perished in the crash.
Exactly how the sequence of events of the crash transpired was not immediately clear.
Capt. LeAnn Rabun of the Goldsboro Police Department said police believe Watkins was heading northbound on Spence Avenue when she ran off the opposite side of the road and went into the woodline.
Rabun said witness at the scene told police Watkins was driving, and then began driving at a high rate of speed before running off the road.
Watkins' car continued to travel through the woodline before flipping several times, taking out a tree and landing on its side between the railroad tracks and Royall Avenue.
The tree the car hit fractured, with part of it coming down across the railroad tracks and the another part hitting the roof of a man's truck before coming to rest on the opposite side of Royall Avenue near Applebee's.
Rabun said other cars were hit by debris, and one other woman was taken to the hospital as a result.
Rabun said she was unsure of the extent of the woman's injuries, as she was being taken to the hospital when Rabun arrived on scene.
Wayne County EMS and Goldsboro firefighters responded to the scene alongside the police department when the call was dispatched at about 11:20 a.m.
Firefighters had to force open the door of the vehicle before pulling out the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police closed down Royall Avenue at Spence Avenue and Landmark Drive for several hours.
Authorities initially tried to block the view of the overturned car with firetrucks as people looked on and tried to see what was happening.
Officers then cordoned off the scene with yellow crime scene tape and told several people to move away from the scene when the crowd continued to strafe back and forth to try and get a look at what was going on.
Police are investigating what caused the wreck.