Man airlifted after SUV catches fire in collision

The morning commute for some drivers going through Vass came to a halt Thursday morning after an SUV collided with a truck and caught on fire.

The collision happened just before 7 a.m. in the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 1 at the intersection with Causey Road.

The driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe rear-ended a truck hauling wood posts. After the collision, off-duty Aberdeen Police Officer Jesse James Smith and two bystanders helped pull the male driver out of the SUV which had caught fire. 

Emergency units were dispatched and arrived on scene to find the vehicle fully involved in flames. Firefighters quickly put out the blaze.

After EMS arrived on the scene and evaluated the patient, air care was requested, and an additional unit from Whispering Pines Fire Department was dispatched to set up a landing zone at the ball field in Vass.

The patient was then flown to a trauma center. His condition is unknown at this time. He was the only occupant of the vehicle.

The driver of the truck was uninjured.

At least one lane of northbound U.S. Highway 1 was shut down for a brief period while crews worked the scene and the road was cleared.

Highway Patrol was on scene and is investigating the crash.

Responding units were Cypress Pointe Fire Department, Whispering Pines Fire Department, Moore County EMS and NC. Highway Patrol.

Photo courtesy of Cypress Pointe Fire Department.

~Written by Sandhills Sentinel Reporter Daniel Gwyn.