NAKINA, NC. (THECOUNT) — Chris Settlemeyer, of Elizabethtown, has been identified as the North Carolina semi-truck driver killed in a fiery NC-905 crash Wednesday.

Settlemeyer, 39, was killed when a gas tanker he was operating crashed and burst into flames in Nakina Wednesday night on a stretch of road known as “Dead Man’s Curve.”

Advertisement

Highway Patrol officials said in a reports that Settlemeyer exited the roadway for an unknown reason and hit a pole.

David Ransom, Deputy Director of the Columbus County Emergency Management Services said the tanker was filled with fuel and appears to have exploded after it crashed. The tanker knocked down power lines and woods near the wreck caught fire. source

Officials say alcohol and drugs was not a contributing factor.

The highway patrol is investigating.