BOONE, NC : Driver charged in wreck that injured five on Monday, November 14th 2016
A man who reportedly told officers he fell asleep at the wheel before colliding head on with two other vehicles now faces charges related to the incident.
Benjamin Aaron Cook, 24, of Boone, was charged on Nov. 14 with reckless driving, crossing left of center and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Nov. 6 collision at the intersection of U.S. 421 and Industrial Park Drive occurred when Cook’s westbound Ford van crossed over the center of the highway and struck two eastbound vehicles head on: a 1998 Subaru driven by Sara Melody Hairgrove, 17, of Lexington, and a 2005 Suzuki driven by Susan Annette Hutchins, 45, of Hamptonville.
The Watauga Democrat previously reported that no charges had yet been filed in the incident.
The accident resulted in multiple injuries, with five people transported by medics, including two who were airlifted via WINGS Air Rescue to Johnson City Medical Center: Hutchins and her passenger, Christine Denise Smithey, 46, of North Wilkesboro.
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Driver charged in wreck that injured five