11-year-old, 4 others killed in NC crash; truck driver charged with not having license: NCSHP

Monique John Image
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Crash leaves 5 dead in Cumberland County
NCSHP said all five killed were in an SUV that collided with a tractor trailer. The tractor trailer driver has been charged with driving without a license.

WADE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The North Carolina Highway Patrol (NCSHP) is continuing to investigate a crash that killed five people in Cumberland County on Sunday afternoon.

The crash happened at the intersection of Hayfield Road and US Highway 13 (Goldsboro Road) around 2:47 p.m. According to NCSHP, the driver of an SUV did not stop for a stop sign and collided with a tractor trailer.

The five people killed were all in the SUV, which burst into flames after the collision. One person was airlifted to UNC Hospitals but later died from their injuries. The others were pronounced dead at the scene.

The tractor-trailer ran off the road and flipped. The driver had minor injuries and was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

Monday afternoon, highway patrol identified two of the victims as Gabriel Antonio Autry, 36 and London N. Autry, 11, both from Stedman.

The truck driver, Tyrik Bannerman, 27, of Rose Hill, has been charged with no operator's license.

Andrew Barksdale from North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) says the fatal crash was extraordinary for this area of the highway.

In a statement he wrote:

"This crash is a terrible tragedy. We will need the final report from the State Highway Patrol for us to do our own safety investigation of this location. It could take several weeks to complete our investigation of this intersection."

DOT data shows there have only been seven non-fatal crashes--and only involving property damage--in its most recent statistics from 2017 to 2021.

The Medical Examiner's Office has not positively identified the names of the three other victims.