Pedestrian, 65, killed when driver runs truck off road in north Raleigh, police say
Raleigh police arrested a driver after they say he ran a truck off the side of the road, fatally striking a 65-year-old pedestrian late Tuesday afternoon.
Willson Trenholm Holliday, 51, was charged with driving while impaired and five other charges after he ran off Fox Road and struck Jose Mejia, who was walking on the east side of the road, the Raleigh Police Department reported.
Mejia was taken to a hospital, where he died., a news release stated.
The accident happened about 4:56 p.m. and Holliday was traveling northeast on Fox Road in the far right straight lane, according to the news release. The area is near Thales Academy in north Raleigh.
A preliminary investigation found, after striking Mejia, Holliday overcorrected and the 2005 Toyota Tundra he was driving crossed all lanes on Fox Road onto Town Drive and struck a tree, the release stated.
A passenger in the truck was seriously injured during the collision with the tree and taken to the hospital.
All pedestrians have the right of way at all intersections and driveways, according to North Carolina law.
When a pedestrian is walking on a road without sidewalks or on a highway, they must walk only on the extreme left of the road or the shoulder facing traffic coming from the opposite direction.
Holliday was also charged with aggravated felony death by vehicle, aggravated serious injury by vehicle, careless and reckless driving, failure to maintain lane control, and failure to reduce speed to avoid a pedestrian.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 12:19 PM.