A 14-year-old is dead and another seriously injured after a high-speed crash early Thursday morning in Moore County.
According to authorities, the crash happened around 3:30 a.m. in the 2400 block of Stanton Hill Road, just outside Cameron. Investigators say the SUV was traveling south at a high rate of speed when it ran off the right side of the road in a curve, struck a mailbox, and then hit a tree before crashing into the front of a house.
Authorities said the vehicle traveled approximately 150 feet from the mailbox to the tree, then continued another 100 feet before coming to a stop against the house.
Officials say the mailbox, constructed with heavy-duty metal gears, likely ruptured the SUV’s fuel tank when it was struck. The vehicle burst into flames upon impact with the house, and the fire spread into several rooms and into the attic.
Neighbors told Moore County News they heard a loud explosion and ran to the roadway, where they saw heavy flames coming from the front corner of the house.
One of the teens died at the scene, while the other was rushed to the hospital with critical injuries. Their names have not been released due to their age.
No one was inside the home at the time of the crash.
The incident remains under investigation by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
