Teen injured in morning crash near Smithfield

SMITHFIELD -- A high school principal's son suffered serious injuries when he crashed his truck outside Smithfield early this morning, apparently falling asleep at the wheel after an all-night church event, state troopers said.

Patrick Jacobs Jr. was taken from the scene on Baker's Chapel Road to Wake Medical Center. His 1996 Chevrolet truck had flipped after passing through two drainage culverts, and he was rescued hanging upside-down in the cab, Trooper Dwight Braswell said.

Jacobs' injuries were described as non-life-threatening.

A junior at Princeton High School, Jacobs is the son of Patrick Jacobs, who is principal of Smithfield-Selma High School.

He had been at a "lock-in" at church on New Year's Eve and had been stopping to pick up coffee filters for his family on the drive home just before 8:30 a.m.

"I reckon all the high schools are preaching driving safety," Braswell said. "It ought to really hit home for him now."