An awful double-fatal hit-and-run accident occurred on I-40 near U.S. 70 and Garner, North Carolina (NC). A tractor-trailer hit a patch of ice and spun out of control. Two other vehicles drove into a roadside ditch while trying to avoid hitting the tractor-trailer.
Larry Kepley, a Winston-Salem resident (named in NBC News 2 article), stopped and was attempting to assist the people on the side of the road when he was hit and killed by the driver of a Volvo. Mr. Kepley was only 39 years old.
The Volvo also hit one of the drivers whose vehicle was stuck in the ditch. His name was Nathaniel Williams, a Hope Mills resident and a U.S. Navy service member. Mr. Williams was only 34 years old.
Two lives gone in the blink of an eye.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the driver of the Volvo decided to flee the scene. Fortunately, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office was able to track the driver down and he was arrested by Raleigh police.
The Volvo driver is now facing multiple criminal charges including two felony counts of second-degree murder, DWI, felony possession of amphetamines, resisting an officer, two counts of felony hit-and-run and reckless driving, according to the NBC News 2 article.
Our deepest condolences go out the families of the victims who had their lives taken in this awful incident. Losing a loved one is always heartbreaking, but the pain is made that much worse when the loss is sudden and completely unexpected. It also has to be infuriating to know that these innocent victims had their lives taken by the reckless actions of a driver who probably should not have even been operating a vehicle.