Husband and wife die in crash on Christmas when another car runs red light, NC cops say
A married couple’s drive on Christmas morning turned fatal when another driver slammed into their car, North Carolina police said.
After running a red light on Hope Mills Road, a 26-year-old driver collided into another car with a husband and wife inside traveling along Raeford Road with a green light at 10:55 a.m. Monday, according to a Dec. 26 Fayetteville Police Department news release.
The husband and wife were killed, and the other driver is now facing multiple charges, according to police.
The couple was identified as 47-year-old Jada Fields and 46-year-old Patricia Fields, a husband and wife from Fayetteville, police said. They both were pronounced dead at the crash scene, according to the department.
Jada and Patricia Fields were on their way to give Christmas presents to their 8-year-old granddaughter, according to a GoFundMe page created for the couple’s family. The Christmas gifts were left in the car as part of the crash investigation, according to the GoFundMe.
“We did not plan to leave them, together, so soon on a day that was meant for family,” the GoFundMe reads, written from Patricia Fields’ perspective.
The driver, Michael Anthony Smith Jr., stayed at the crash scene with minor injuries, police said. He later was charged with reckless driving and two counts of death by motor vehicle, as well as nine other charges, according to police.
A 26-year-old woman in the back of Smith’s car was injured in the crash and sent to the hospital, police said. A front passenger in Smith’s car, who has not been identified, fled the scene on foot, according to the police department.
An investigation is ongoing, and anyone with further information on the crash can contact 910-987-4510.
