Troopers: Speed, alcohol contributed to deadly I-42 rollover
JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Raleigh man was killed early Friday in a single-vehicle rollover crash on I-42 in Johnston County, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
The crash happened around 2:23 a.m. near the Wake County line on I-42. Troopers said a 2008 Ford Ranger traveling westbound ran off the side of the roadway. The driver then overcorrected, causing the truck to cross the roadway to the left and roll over multiple times before coming to rest upright in the travel lanes.
When emergency crews arrived, they found two men who had been ejected from the vehicle lying in the roadway.
The passenger, identified as Jose Alberto Francisco-Perez, 40, of Raleigh, was taken to Wake Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries, authorities said.
The driver, Luis Angel Chaidez Gonzalez, 30, of Raleigh, was also taken to Wake Medical Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators said speed and alcohol impairment were contributing factors in the crash. Troopers also confirmed that neither occupant was wearing a seat belt at the time of the wreck.
Gonzalez was later arrested and charged with felony death by motor vehicle, driving while impaired, no operator's license, careless and reckless driving, an open container violation, and failure to wear a seat belt.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Sgt. Nathan White with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol at 919-934-2186 or 919-733-3861.
