A truck driver and a toddler were killed Thursday morning in a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 near Fayetteville, the N.C. Highway Patrol said.
The crash, which happened just after 2 a.m. near exit 42, involved an 18-wheeler and a van. The two people who died were in the 18-wheeler.
Driver Tony Weeks Jr., 31, of Onancock, Virginia, and a 2-year-old boy were killed, patrol Sgt. K. McVicker said. The name of the boy was not released.
The boy’s mother, 30-year-old Andrea Rasher of Trenton, New Jersey, was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, McVicker said. Her injuries are not expected to be life-threatening, the trooper said.
No one was injured in the van driven by 44-year-old Liyan Zhang of Pompano Beach, Florida.
The Highway Patrol said the van was traveling in front of the 18-wheeler and slowed to exit the rest area. The 18-wheeler clipped the back, left quarter panel of the van.
The 18-wheeler overcorrected and veered off the highway to the left and collided with a line of trees and overturned in the median on the left-hand side, McVicker said.
The northbound lanes of the interstate from N.C. 87 to N.C. 24 were closed for hours following the crash.
Michael Futch covers Fayetteville and education for CityView TODAY. He can be reached at mfutch@cityviewnc.com. Have a news tip? Email news@CityViewTODAY.com.
