80-year-old man dies following early morning crash in Ashe County: NCSHP
ASHE COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — An 80-year-old man is dead following an early morning crash in Ashe County, N.C. State Highway Patrol confirms.
Around 9:35 a.m. on Wednesday, the NCSHP responded to a crash on N.C. Highway 163 near Heritage Farm Road in West Jefferson.
Officials say a 2015 Toyota Tacoma was traveling north on N.C. 163 when the driver crossed the center line and struck a 2004 Toyota Tacoma head-on.
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The driver of the 2004 Tacoma, Gary Jackson Taylor, 80, of West Jefferson was transported by EMS to Ashe Memorial Hospital where he died from his injuries.
The driver of the 2015 Tacoma, 16-year-old Grayson Cole Blevins of Creston was transported by medical helicopter to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem with serious condition. Officials say Blevins was not wearing a seatbelt.
The initial investigation determined that speed and impairment were not contributing factors in the collision. Upon completion of the ongoing investigation and consultation with the Ashe County District Attorney's Office, charges are pending.
During the on-scene investigation, the highway was closed for approximately two hours.
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