Mom, best friend killed in NC crash that injured 6 children in Johnston County
CLAYTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- Two people are dead and six children are being treated for injuries after a crash in Johnston County.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP), the deadly crash happened Saturday around 7 p.m. on Government Road and Jack Road near Clayton.
Troopers say 24-year-old Emily Rosario Diaz of Clayton, was driving on Jack Road when she failed to stop at a stop sign at the t-section. She then traveled off-road, hit a ditch, and went airborne and slammed into a tree.
Diaz died at the crash site. The front seat passenger, 23-year-old Sade Nadia Tomlinson of Knightdale died from her injuries while EMS was taking her to a hospital.
There were six children under the age of 12 in the backseat at the time of the crash. All were taken to a hospital, and one of the children had critical injuries, NCSHP says.
There's now a makeshift memorial that includes dozens of balloons tied to the tree the car crashed into.
A family friend who visited the memorial on Monday said the two women were best friends. She said she's still in shock over their deaths and added that Emely loved her five-year-old twin children who she says were in the car.
Tomlinson is also remembered by a friend as a sweet woman. Loved ones say her 8-year-old sister was also in the car at the time of the crash.
"She was a light for everyone," a family friend said about Emily. "She was always there. We needed her. She was a great mom, number one. She always put her girls first."
Willie Freeman who lives nearby says he is still processing what he saw in the aftermath of the crash.
"Been out here over 40 years, and that was the worst wreck we've had out here so far since I've been here," Freeman said.
NCSHP said no one in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt.
Speed is considered to be a contributing factor in the crash, as well as failure to stop at the stop sign, according to NCSHP.
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