LENOIR, N.C. – Two people are dead, including one child, after a crash involving an alleged drunk driver in Caldwell County on Friday night, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
It happened around 8:45 p.m. on U.S. 64 at Union Baptist Road in Lenoir.
According to the highway patrol, a Ford F-150, driven by 20-year-old Matthew Frye, was traveling east on U.S. 64 when the vehicle crossed the centerline and collided with a Honda Civic. The Ford then struck a guardrail and a utility pole.
Shortly after the collision, a Ford F-250 collided with the Honda in the roadway.
The Honda driver, 78-year-old Pink Lackey, died at the scene. An 11-year-old passenger, sitting in the front seat of the Honda, also died from the crash.
The F-250 driver was not hurt.
Speed and impairment are believed to be contributing factors in the initial crash, the highway patrol said.
Troopers found Frye, who was not injured, in a wooded area nearby and took him into custody.
Frye has been charged with two counts of felony death by motor vehicle, driving while impaired, drive after consuming under the age of 21, and improper passing. Additional charges are pending, troopers said.
