An accident claimed the lives of four family members, including two small children, Friday afternoon just outside of Pinebluff on the Moore County/Richmond County line.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, it is believed that a Honda Accord sedan, traveling south on U.S. 1, hydroplaned and crossed the median, colliding with a semi-truck traveling in the northbound lane.
The four occupants of the Honda, Tesmond Thomas, 28, LaTanya Jones, 26, Levi Thomas, 6, and Judah Thomas, 4, were pronounced dead at the scene. The family was from Aberdeen.
Firefighters had to use hydraulic equipment to extract the adult male and female passenger from the vehicle. Pinebluff Fire and Rescue stated that both children were ejected from the sedan during the collision.
Officials on the scene reported that the driver of the semi-truck had minor injuries to his arms that did not require transportation to the hospital. The semi reportedly lost around 30 gallons of gasoline onto the roadway, according to officials, which crews worked to contain and clean up.
The semi-truck ended up partially on the median facing north in the inner northbound lane with heavy front end damage, while the extensively damaged Honda came to a stop in the woods on the right-hand side of the northbound lane.
The truck driver and truck were with Core-Mark, a food distributor.
The northbound lanes of U.S. 1 were shut down for several hours while officials worked diligently to clear the scene. Southbound lanes were also closed for nearly an hour so that the State Highway Patrol could investigate the accident safely.
Law enforcement said the truck driver will not be charged.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for the funeral.
~Article and photos by Sandhills Sentinel Reporter Jennie Matthews.
