Spencer authorities say the driver in a crash that killed six people, including three children, was speeding prior to the single-vehicle collision.
Angela Monique Dunlap, 28, was originally traveling 67 miles per hour on South Rowan Avenue, where the posted speed limit is 30 miles per hour. The speed of the vehicle when it collided with the first tree was approximately 57 miles per hour, a statement said.
Spencer Police Sgt. M.N. Brigman added the 2002 GMC Envoy struck a smaller tree right before it collided sideways with a larger tree. The vehicle immediately caught fire.
The speed calculations were obtained from the vehicle’s onboard computer that records crash data. The N.C. State Highway Patrol assisted in the retrieval of the data.
The toxicology report is incomplete at this time, the statement said. Brigman said he could confirm there was alcohol present in the vehicle, but will have to wait for toxicology reports to determine if anyone was intoxicated.
Dunlap was killed, along with Vincent Eugene McNeal, 45; Sean Javen Jacobs, 25; Da’Ja Cathcart, 10; Taliah Williams, 8; and Karizma Nichole Sexton, 4.
Twins Davion and Javion Williams, 6, remain in Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem. Hospital officials say Javion is still critical while his brother, Davion, is in good condition.
Dunlap was the mother of Da’Ja, Taliah, Davion and Javion.
Charles Patrick, 10, of Salisbury, also a passenger in the crash, is recovering from minor injuries.
The Spencer Police Department has extended “heartfelt sympathy to all those that have lost family members in this tragic crash,” the statement said.