According to Durham police, the accident happened at 6:41 p.m. on U.S. 70 between Lynn Road and East End Avenue. A westbound Chevrolet Blazer, driven by Matthew Whitesel, 21, of Fayetteville, crossed the center line and struck the front left corner and left side of an eastbound Toyota car.
The Blazer then spun away from the Toyota and struck an eastbound Chrysler minivan, driven by Delbert Kapp, 76, of Raleigh.
The driver of the Toyota, whose name is not being released because her family has not been notified, was trapped in the car and pronounced dead at the scene.
Two passengers in the Toyota -- India Ellison, 31, of Durham and a 2-year-old boy -- were taken to Duke University Hospital for treatment of injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.
Whitesel and a passenger in his Blazer -- 22-year-old Jenna Johnson of Durham -- also were taken to Duke for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Kapp and his wife, Margaret, were not injured.
All three vehicles were total losses. The accident tied up traffic on U.S. 70 for more than three hours.
Investigators said that alcohol and speed did not appear to be factors in the accident.
No charges have been filed. But the accident is still under investigation.
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