Teen killed in crash west of Garner

GARNER, NC (WTVD) -- The North Carolina Highway Patrol says a driver was killed in a single-vehicle accident west of Garner Wednesday morning.

Troopers said 18-year-old Cristopher Reynaga Sanchez of Raleigh was driving west on Simpkins Road when he lost control, hit several trees, and was ejected from his pickup truck. He died at the scene. Investigators said Sanchez was not wearing a seat belt.

"That truck is tore up," nearby resident Stacy Pleasant said. "The front end is smashed all the way in, inside where the cab is."

Waled Eldwik said he heard the crash outside his home.

"It's hard for everybody," he said, "It's so sad, for somebody to die in your front yard. It's really sad."

Sanchez's friends told ABC11 he was on his way to work when the accident happened.

Troopers said they believed speed was a factor in the fatal crash. The speed limit on Simpkins Road is 35 mph.

"It's pretty bad," Pleasant said. "If anybody would have lived through it, it would have been surprising. Just pray for his family. Because we're not guaranteed any time, and that could have just as well been me. We pull out of these driveways every day, and people fly through here."