By Steve Huffman
shuffman@salisburypost.com
A driver was killed in a three-vehicle accident on Interstate 85 south of Salisbury early Sunday.
The accident happened about 2:30 a.m. between mile markers 68 and 70, near the China Grove exit.
Pronounced dead at the scene was Victor Bernard Maxwell Jr., 22, of Charlotte. According to the N.C. Highway Patrol, Maxwell was traveling south on the interstate when the 2002 Chevrolet SUV he was driving drifted from a right-hand lane and hit a vehicle also traveling south that was in the interstate’s far-left lane.
Maxwell’s SUV flipped several times, in the process throwing him from the vehicle. Sgt. S.L. Pace of the Highway Patrol said Maxwell was not wearing a seat belt.
He said the SUV rolled over Maxwell as it flipped. A third vehicle, also traveling south, was involved in the accident, running over Maxwell while he was lying in the roadway.
Pace said it’s likely that Maxwell went to sleep immediately before the accident, causing him to drift from his lane.
The vehicle that Maxwell struck was a 2008 Ford SUV driven by Brian Ladarryl Dalton, 27, of Greensboro.
The vehicle that struck Maxwell as he lay in the roadway was a 2006 Chrysler driven by Yuranys Paola Sierra, 22, of Salisbury.
Pace said no charges were anticipated, though he said that after Dalton was transported to Rowan Regional Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries, it was learned that the SUV he was driving had been reported stolen.
Pace said officers rushed to the hospital, but Dalton had already fled.
“They’re in the process of trying to track him down,” Pace said. “They’ve got his address from his driver’s license.”
Three people in Maxwell’s SUV were taken to Rowan Regional Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. They were Keishad Juante Stroud, 22, Vishaun Maxwell, 1-month old, and Larry Alexander, 18, all of Charlotte. They were apparently wearing seat belts. Stroud and Alexander were treated and released. The hospital said it had no record of admission for the infant.
Pace said occupants of Maxwell’s vehicle said they were all asleep at the time of the accident.
Volunteers from the Bostian Heights Fire Department responded to the call as did members of the Rowan County Rescue Squad, Rowan County Emergency Medical Services, the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, China Grove police and the South Salisbury Fire Department.
Traffic was detoured from the interstate onto Peeler Road for several hours while officers with the Highway Patrol conducted their investigation.