SUV slams pole, bursts into flames; two dead

Two people are dead and three are seriously injured after a one-car accident at about 5 p.m. Thursday on N.C. 57 near Semora.

Sgt. J.W. Burns of the North Carolina Highway Patrol said a northbound Ford SUV attempted to pass a vehicle and ran off the left side of the road, lost control, crossed to the right side of the road, then careened back to the left, where it hit a ditch and slammed into a power pole before stopping in some trees.

The car hit the power pole hard enough to break it, knocking its wires to the ground, Burns said, adding the vehicle burst into flames.

He said it appeared that speed was the biggest factor in the wreck.

Items from inside the vehicle, including several shoes, were strewn across the wooded area where the vehicle stopped.

The vehicle’s model could not immediately be identified due to its burned condition and damage from the impact.

Troopers have not released the identities of the victims and would not confirm the total number of victims because the scene was still being investigated Thursday night.

Two of the injured were taking to Danville Regional Medical Center and one was transported to Person Memorial Hospital in Roxboro.

• Contact Denice Thibodeau at or (434) 791-7985.

• Contact Sarah Arkin at or (434) 791-7983.