GRANVILLE COUNTY, NC. (THECOUNT) — Jason Nye, 31, his wife, Christina Nye, 32, and their 6-year-old daughter were killed early Saturday when their Toyota Highlander crashed into a fire engine stopped on Interstate 85 in Granville County near the Durham County line. The couple’s 10-year-old son survived the collision and remains hospitalized.
The fatal collision occurred at approximately 4 a.m. Saturday on northbound I-85, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and local news reports. The family of four was traveling in the SUV when it struck a Providence Fire Department truck that was blocking the roadway at the scene of an earlier crash.
Advertisement
Investigators said the Toyota Highlander failed to slow down before striking the rear of the fire engine. The force of the collision pushed the fire truck and the SUV into a nearby pickup truck, according to the preliminary account.
Jason Nye, Christina Nye and their young daughter were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not released the 6-year-old girl’s identity.
The couple’s 10-year-old son survived the collision but suffered serious, described by one report as critical, injuries. He was airlifted to Duke University Hospital for treatment. Authorities have not released a subsequent update on his condition.
The Providence Fire Department engine, identified by ABC11 as Engine 61, had its emergency lights activated and was stopped in the roadway while firefighters dealt with an earlier crash. The fire engine and nearby pickup truck were unoccupied when the Highlander struck them.
No firefighters or occupants of the pickup truck were reported injured in the collision. The available reports did not identify the people involved in the earlier crash or provide additional details about that incident.
The crash resulted in an extended closure of northbound I-85 near Exit 191. WRAL reported that the highway remained closed for more than six hours as emergency crews and investigators worked at the scene.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol continues to investigate the circumstances of the collision. Authorities have not announced a final cause, citations or criminal charges in connection with the crash.
The preliminary reports indicate that the Highlander failed to slow down before striking the stationary fire engine. Investigators have not publicly explained why the SUV failed to slow down or disclosed whether roadway conditions, visibility or another factor contributed to the crash.
The tragedy left one child without both parents and a sibling, according to local reporting. The surviving boy remains the only known survivor among the four members of the Charlotte family who were traveling in the SUV.
Granville County is located in northern North Carolina, near the Virginia border and northeast of the Raleigh-Durham metropolitan area. The crash occurred on I-85 near the Durham County line, a major interstate corridor connecting communities across the Piedmont region.
Google Maps: Approximate location of the crash near I-85 Exit 191, Granville County, North Carolina
DEVELOPING::