Two killed in rollover collision near Pittsboro
A Northwood High School senior and a Pinehurst man were killed Monday morning in a crash on U.S. Highway 15/501 north of Pittsboro, authorities said.
Posted — UpdatedA southbound Chevrolet Tahoe went into the median near Ruth Lane at about 8 a.m. and overturned, continuing to flip as it went into the northbound lanes, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. A 2011 Toyota Camry swerved to avoid the Tahoe and hit the guardrail along the right shoulder.
The Tahoe then landed on top of a 2008 Camry, killing both drivers.
The driver of the Tahoe has been identified as Yolanda Gonzalez-Saavedra, 18, of Chapel Hill, and the driver of the 2008 Camry has been identified as John Wade Collins, 44, of Pinehurst.
Collins was an Air Force lieutenant colonel and commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment 590 and chairman of the Department of Aerospace Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also served as director of operations for the 2nd Airlift Squadron and commander of the 43rd Operations Support Squadron at Pope Army Air Field from 2010 to 2014.
The driver of the 2011 Camry, Kelly Felicia Scurlock Cross, 45, of Sanford, was transported to UNC Hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. Gonzalez-Saavedra's 14-year-old sister, who was a passenger in the Tahoe, also suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to UNC Hospitals, authorities said.
Troopers are still trying to determine what caused the Tahoe to go into the median.
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