Justin Lee Locklear became the county’s eleventh road death Friday when his soft drink truck slammed into the rear of a tanker on U.S. 74-76.
First Sgt. Andrew Pait of the Highway Patrol said Locklear died instantly when he was thrown from the Hino truck carrying hundreds of cases of Pepsi, Sun Drop and other drinks. Locklear was not wearing a seatbelt, Pait said.
The crash occurred around 1:15 p.m., three miles east of Whiteville on the intrastate highway. The 2009 Peterbilt tanker, driven by Darryl Eugene Jones, 61, was heading west at around 45 miles per hour. Locklear was driving around 65 when the right front corner of his delivery truck struck the left rear of the tanker. The speed limit in the area is 70.
The tanker driver came to a controlled stop, partially on the right shoulder of the westbound lane. The Pepsi truck came to rest in the righthand westbound lane, Pait said.
The crash scattered cases of drinks down the highway, leading to more than an hour’s cleanup work for firefighters from Hallsboro, White Marsh and Whiteville. Emergency units were also posted at the Hallsboro exit from U.s. 74-76 to send westbound traffic down Sam Pott Highway.
Locklear, 34, was from Pembroke.
The crash was the eleventh on area roads this year, and the fifth in eight days. Six of the 11 deaths involved unrestrained drivers or passengers.
Pait said that seatbelts are not only the law, but they save lives.
“We have started placing even more emphasis on seatbelt usage in our area,” Pait said. “Even in a commercial vehicle, a seatbelt can prevent a fatality.”
