Two killed when SUV crosses median into oncoming traffic on I-40, NC police say
Two people are dead and several others are injured after an SUV crossed a median on a North Carolina interstate, officials said.
Alcohol is believed to have played a role in the crash, which involved multiple cars and closed part of Interstate 40 for hours over the weekend, according to the Greensboro Police Department and news reports.
Officers said a driver was behind the wheel of an Infiniti SUV that was going west before it traveled across the median and into oncoming traffic. That’s when it struck a Chevy Silverado that had been heading east, according to police.
After it hit the Silverado, the SUV reportedly “made contact with” an Acura. A fourth car also hit the Silverado, police said in a news release.
Officials said the crash happened at about 9:45 p.m on Saturday, Feb. 26. The incident shut down eastbound lanes from Freeman Mill to Randleman roads into the next day, the News & Record and WXII reported.
On Twitter, the N.C. Department of Transportation reported a closure in the Greensboro area around 11 p.m. and later said the incident was cleared.
Two of the four people in the Infiniti died, officials said. Police identified the deceased passengers as 27-year-old Darius Deshawn Smyre and 31-year-old Antonio Maurice James, both of Greensboro.
The Infiniti driver and another SUV passenger were seriously hurt in the crash, which also left the Silverado driver with serious injuries, police said.
The Acura driver wasn’t injured, and the person behind the wheel of the fourth vehicle — a Jeep Compass — reportedly had minor injuries.
As of about 1 p.m. Feb. 28, no one had been charged in connection with the crash. An investigation continues, Greensboro police spokesperson Ronald Glenn told McClatchy News in an email.
Officers urge anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000. People can also submit information on the P3tips website and mobile application.
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Two killed when SUV crosses median into oncoming traffic on I-40, NC police say."
