SALISBURY, N.C. — Salisbury police said a violent crash Monday on Jake Alexander Boulevard in Salisbury was one of the worst they have seen.
"I've never seen an engine block and transmission thrown across a road like that," said Officer Brad Jordan, who was the first officer on the scene.
Police said Abraham Morris, 43, was driving drunk at around 6 a.m. After the crash, his speedometer was found stuck at 130 mph.
Police said Morris lost control of his car, drove across the center line and struck a Toyota head-on.
(Abraham Morris)
Kendra Whitaker, 36, was behind the wheel of the Toyota.
Laurie Tweed was driving right behind her.
"Her car pretty much exploded and all the car debris started hitting me," Tweed said.
Whitaker was pinned in her car for more than an hour while crews worked to save her life. She's still in critical condition in an intensive care unit.
The engine block was thrown from Morris' Honda, 90 feet across the road into a Zaxby's parking lot.
The transmission was also ripped from the car as it spun after impact with Whitaker's car, which was shoved into Tweed's car behind her.
The three-car crash left debris scattered across all five lanes of Jake Alexander Boulevard.
Jordan saw Morris walking around after the crash and approached him.
"I came up on him, smelled a strong odor of alcohol and asked him what he was doing,” Jordan said. “He said he was going to work.”
Morris has a previous DWI conviction and was not licensed to drive.
Tweed said she is sore and in some pain, but she's only thinking about Whitaker and her recovery.
"She practically, in my opinion, saved my life,” Tweed said. “I feel guilty over that because she took the brunt of the impact.”
Blood alcohol tests on Morris are still pending.
Morris is charged with DWI and driving with a revoked license after the wreck.
Morris was later charged with a felony charge of aggravated serious injury by vehicle.
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