A 53-year-old Panama City, Fla. man has been identified as the victim of a Sept. 29 crash on Interstate 85 involving a parked tractor trailer and a pickup.
A N.C. Highway Patrol report said Wade Mitchell Oliver Jr. was killed instantly the night his truck crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer between Peeler and Peach Orchard roads on the northbound side.
Highway Patrol officials were unable to immediately identify Oliver soon after the crash because he did not have a driver’s license with him, but the vehicle registration did lead officials to a Panama City address. The crash occurred sometime around 11:30 p.m.
Authorities were unsure if Oliver fell asleep or was distracted just before the crash. A trooper said there were no skid marks in the roadway and the pickup’s estimated speed at impact was 65 mph.
Oliver suffered massive head and chest trauma in the wreck.