Residents demand action after fatal Hillsborough crash

N.C. Highway 86 and Sawmill Road cross in the quiet community of Cedar Grove and the sleepy town got quite a wake-up call last Tuesday morning.

“It was about 6:30 a.m. when we heard the explosion,” said resident Joel Jennings.

When Jennings stepped outside, he saw a tanker truck full of liquid propane on fire a few feet from his home. Investigators said that the tanker was hit by the driver of a car who ran a stop sign at the intersection.

The driver of the truck, who was identified as Charlie Dunston Jr., 35, of Durham did not survive.

Those who live in the area said that there have been too many wrecks at the intersection and that something needs to be done.

“When I was 20 years old, coming from work, a bus ran a stop sign and ran into me,” said resident Anne Hester.

Hester has lived near the intersection for her entire life. She and others would like to see a traffic light at the intersection.

“I think it could be done with a caution light, that would be a good step in the right direction,” said Hester.

The Department of Transportation considers several factors, including the crash history at a particular location, before installing a signal. According to DOT documents, there have been 10 crashes during the past five years at the intersection of N.C. Highway 86 and Sawmill Road.

Residents, however, said that number was incorrect and that if the DOT keeps ignoring the problem, more people will be injured or killed as a result.

Taurus Hairston, 34, he driver of the car that caused the crash that killed Dunston was be charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and driving with a revoked license.