One person was killed after striking a utility pole on N.C. 181 on Thursday afternoon.
The name of a woman killed in a Thursday afternoon crash north of Morganton has been released.
Carrie Collins Ollis, 43, of Morganton, was driving a Toyota 4Runner south on N.C.181 near Spainhour Road when she ran off the road to the right, overcorrected, crossed the center line, ran off the road to the left and hit a utility pole and embankment around 2:20 p.m., according to a release from Master Trooper J.S. Swagger with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Ollis, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died from injuries sustained in the crash while she was being transported by EMS to a local hospital, the release said.
When the 4Runner hit the utility pole, it fell and hit a northbound Hyundai Genesis. The driver of that vehicle, Mandi Veronica Lowe, 19, of Morganton, was not injured.
Impairment is not suspected as a contributing factor in the crash.
Weather conditions were treacherous Thursday afternoon, with rain pouring down on Burke County.
“In weather like this, you have to account for the roads being slick,” NCSHP Sgt. D.J. Wakefield told The News Herald at the scene of the crash. “Always pay attention."
Oak Hill Fire Rescue, Burke County EMS and Burke County REACT all responded along with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Chrissy Murphy is a staff writer and can be reached at cmurphy@morganton.com or at 828-432-8941. Follow @cmurphyMNH on Twitter.
