The crash that left five people dead on Interstate 95 near Kenly Wednesday afternoon is just the latest on what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) called the most dangerous highway in the United States.
According to the State Highway Patrol, Charles Haskell, 51, failed to stop his tractor-trailer, hitting another tractor-trailer and several other vehicles and causing one to catch fire near milemarker 113 in the northbound lanes of I-95. He faces five counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.
On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation into the crash, and Haskell appeared in front of a Wilson County judge. He was given a $25,000 bond that has not been posted and is due back in court Oct. 18.
Data shows nearly 30% of serious or deadly crashes along I-95 in Johnston and Wilson counties involved heavy trucks. WRAL Data Trackers found, between 2014 and 2023 in those areas, 129 crashes resulted in serious injuries or deaths. Thirty-six of those crashes involved heavy trucks, and 16 were deadly.
On Thursday afternoon, a little more than 24 hours and about 25 miles away, another crash closed southbound lanes of I-95.
In a May interview with WRAL News, Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone described I-95 as "one of the deadliest highways in the U.S. for traffic accidents, because of the speeds."
The Nash County Sheriff's Office interstate intercept team confiscates cash and drugs and even finds criminals wanted for arrest on major highways like I-95.
On I-95, speed, drugs and a special effort to stop them
Stone said interstate intercept is "probably one of the most dangerous jobs in law enforcement. You don't know who you are dealing with. We get people out here wanted for murder, for violent offenses."
Becky Watson, who travels the route frequently, said construction and a lack of signage make that stretch of I-95 more dangerous.
"I was here in January going to South Carolina, and it was the same," she said. "It's like nothing changed. There's a lot of trucks, and they cut in and out a lot."
Beverly Smith, who lives nearby, agrees.
"These truck drivers need to be more considerate," she said. "They're bigger. They've got to realize, when you see brake lights, you start slowing down. You hear more of 18-wheelers than you hear of just car crashes."
On Wednesday, a state trooper told WRAL News that Haskell, who is from Las Vegas, failed to stop for slow-moving traffic due to a lane closure Wednesday afternoon and collided with a 2013 Chevy Tahoe.
The State Highway Patrol said Haskell then hit a 2017 Toyota Rav-4 and two other tractor-trailers before his tractor-trailer, which was carrying orange juice, came to a stop and caught on fire.
Haskell's tractor-trailer was destroyed in the fiery crash. The two other tractor trailers involved in the crash were carrying raw eggs and sand, troopers said. The truck carrying eggs went off the road, into the woods, and the truck carrying sand had only minor damage.
His record shows a guilty plea in 2017 to failure to maintain control in Ohio.
Georgie Bullock, the lead CDL (commercial driver's license) instructor at Vance-Granville Community College, said truck drivers need to pay attention to many factors.
"As a truck driver, you have to look at all things ... your speed, the weather conditions. With it raining for the last couple days, you have to know the road conditions and the speed limit of the highway."
It takes commercial trucks longer to stop than average passenger vehicles.
"If somebody wants to cut in front of him or if he foresaw something down the road, he needs enough time to stop," Bullock said. "If you're going at highway speeds with wet roads, it will probably take you the length of your truck and trailer to actually come to a full stop."
Bullock said instructors try to teach drivers the importance of their jobs.
"We tell them, in the real situation, you could kill somebody, but that's why we teach you to be overly conscious of what you're doing [and] how fast you're going," he explained. "Every eight to 10 seconds, you should check your mirrors, you know, check your surroundings."
The truck Haskell was driving in the deadly crash belonged to the trucking company Leonard’s Express. The CEO provided the following statement:
"We are deeply saddened by today’s multi-vehicle accident that took the lives of five motorists and injured three others. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families during this most difficult time. We are unable to provide any details at this time, but we will continue to cooperate with authorities concerning this ongoing investigation."
WRAL Investigates found the accused driver's company has a positive safety record overall, with trucks taken out of service during inspections 16% of the time, below the national average of 22%. Drivers were only taken out of service less than 1% of the time compared to nearly 7% nationally.
According to state troopers the following five people died in the crash:
- Edward Davis, 68, of Greenville
- Martha Davis, 69, of Greenville
- Linda Whitehurst, 80
- William Tucker, 72, of Hephzibah, Ga.
- Elizabeth Tucker, 66, of Hephzibah, Ga.
Haskell was arrested after he was released from the hospital.
