NC Woman Jennifer Rector ID’d As Victim In Wednesday Connelly Springs Fatal Crash

BURKE COUNTY, NC. (THECOUNT) — Jennifer Nicole Rector, of Connelly Springs, North Carolina, has been identified as the victim in a Wednesday evening fatal vehicle crash in Burke County.

Rector, 42, was killed, and several others were injured, including a child and a teen, in a multi-vehicle crash in Connelly Springs Wednesday evening. Angelo Messineo, 69, of Hudson, has been identified as the involved driver charged in the wreck.

According to reports, Messineo was operating a Dodge Ram pickup truck on Miller Bridge Road near Shoupes Grove Church Road in Connelly Springs, when for unknown reasons, the vehicle crossed centerlines and into opposing lanes around 4 p.m. Wednesday. The Dodge then came into head-on contact with a Nissan Rogue, operated by Rector.

A Toyota Camry attempting to avoid the Dodge was forced off the road. The driver, Jeremy Stewart, 39, of Hickory, was uninjured in the crash.

Messineo was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries.

Rector was pronounced dead of blunt force trauma injuries at the scene.

The three passengers of the Nissan, ages 45, 13, and 10, were transported to the hospital with unknown injuries.

Hudson was later charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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Geo quick facts: Burke County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 87,570. Its county seat is Morganton. Burke County is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area – Wikipedia.