LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — Two people died early Sunday morning in a head-on collision involving a wrong-way driver in Lincoln County, according to North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
The crash happened just after midnight Sunday on N.C. 16 near Sifford Road in Lincoln County.
A 2017 Ram pickup was traveling north in the southbound lane of N.C. 16 when it collided head-on with a 2021 Mercedes van. Both vehicles burst into flames after the crash, according to the highway patrol.
Troopers said Alejandro Sierra Gutierrez, 33, of Vale, the driver of the Ram, died from his injuries at the scene of the collision.
Jamar Louis Barnett Mishoe, 36, of Concord, who was driving the Mercedes, also died at the scene.
Troopers said they’re investigating if Gutierrez was impaired at the time of the collision.
Highway patrol troopers were at the scene for more than three hours, during which N.C. 16 was closed to traffic.