DARE COUNTY, N.C. (WAVY) — A 2-year-old child has died and a man is in critical condition following a fiery crash on the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge Thursday morning, an officer with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said.
A 1991 Mustang heading eastbound on the U.S. Route 64 Bypass on the bridge was stopped in the far right-hand lane, when a 2023 GMC Acadia struck it from behind. The impact resulted in the Mustang catching on fire, according to highway patrol.
The driver of the Acadia, who is from Columbia, North Carolina, pulled the driver of the Mustang out of the car. The driver of the Mustang, from Manns Harbor, North Carolina, said his 2-year-old was still in the car, and they could not get the child out, highway patrol said.
The 2-year-old died, and the driver of the Mustang is at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in critical condition with serious burns, highway patrol said. The driver of the Acadia suffered minor injuries, and highway patrol said neither alcohol nor speeding were factors in the crash.
Highway patrol said the driver of the Acadia, despite helping the Mustang’s driver out of his car, still faces charges of failure to reduce speed and misdemeanor death.
“We are we’re still looking into several resources,” said Sgt. Colby Pridgen with the N.C. State Highway Patrol. “We have a few more resources as far as vehicles behind that possibly have some dash camera footage that we’re attempting to retrieve.”
A driver just behind the crash provided video to WAVY they captured on their dashcam. It shows the moment of impact, then immediately smoke and flames coming from one of the vehicles involved. People immediately emerge from their cars and run to help.
A Dare County Sheriff’s deputy responding to the crash was also rear-ended by another driver. The deputy was not injured.
“The Sheriff’s Office had a deputy arrive on scene pretty quick. He turned his lights on and he left his car in the roadway on the right side of the bridge and he got out and crossed over the barrier and was trying to assist getting the child out, and someone rear-ended his patrol car during all this,” said Sgt. Pridgen.
Authorities have not released any of the identities of the individuals involved in this crash, at this point.
The Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge is a four-lane bridge in Dare County that spans the Croatan Sound between Manns Harbor and Roanoke Island.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
