ALEXANDER COUNTY, N.C. — The highway patrol in Alexander County is trying to determine if a distracted driver caused a head-on crash that killed two men north of Taylorsville Tuesday morning.
It happened around 7:15 a.m. along Vashti Road, not far from Highway 16.
Channel 9′s Dave Faherty spoke with neighbors who rushed to the scene. The neighbors and another driver stopped to help get a woman out of her car. State troopers said she’s been airlifted to the hospital with serious injures.
The driver of the other car, Ted Allen Teague, 75, died at the scene. The passenger, Michael Allen Teague, 42, also died at the scene. Both men are from Bethlehem in Alexander County.
Firefighters and state troopers had Vashti Road closed for nearly two hours as they investigated the crash. They believe the car crossed the center line and struck a pickup truck head on, knocking it to the side of the road.
Investigators said the woman driving the car, who says she wasn’t on her phone, had looked away for a second when it happened.
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“She looked away for one second, she advised, and that’s when the vehicle was in front of her, and it appears she was left of center and stuck the vehicle head-on,” said D.S. Fortner with the highway patrol.
Faherty spoke with a neighbor who heard the crash and tried to help.
“My heart skipped a beat or two when I first got out here because it looked bad,” Jack St. Clair said. “There wasn’t much I could do. Both men were trapped in the truck. So I couldn’t help them any, but I was able to help get her out of the car.”
The highway patrol hopes to release more details about its investigation, including the names of the people involved. They said one of the men who died is from the Alexander County area.
Troopers said once the investigation is completed and the district attorney’s office is consulted, charges in the case will be filed.
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