Man charged in fatal pedestrian wreck on I-540 in Raleigh
A 42-year-old Durham man has been charged with felony-hit-and-run in connection with a fatal wreck involving two pedestrians on Interstate 540 in north Raleigh.
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Raleigh police said Jesus Lopez Gomez, 35, and Mayra Elizabeth Caceres Perez, 23, were traveling west on I-540 near Triangle Town Boulevard at about 11:30 p.m. Friday when furniture they were hauling in a Nissan pickup truck fell into the highway.
Gomez, who was driving the truck, pulled to the shoulder and he and Perez got out to retrieve a sofa cushion and small table.
Nathaniel Lautha Harris, of 1101 Wabash St., who was also traveling west on I-540 in a 2001 Pontiac sedan, swerved to avoid the furniture and struck Gomez and Perez. After the wreck, Harris tried to leave the area on foot, police said. He was apprehended by responding officers and charged with felony-hit-and-run and driving with a revoked license.
Both victims were taken to WakeMed, where Perez later died. Gomez was being treated early Saturday for serious injuries.
No other information about the wreck has been released.
Authorities closed westbound I-540 for about three hours following the wreck. The highway reopened at about 4 a.m. Saturday.
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