Firefighter’s 6-year-old daughter dies after SUV slams into their vehicle, NC cops say
A firefighter’s 6-year-old daughter died after a North Carolina driver slammed into their SUV, officials said.
The Greensboro fireman was among six people hurt in the Randolph County crash on Sunday, July 10, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol.
State troopers on July 13 learned that the seventh person injured in the wreck had died. She was identified in a news release as the 6-year-old child of firefighter Sherone Lee Shoffner.
Officials said Shoffner was driving south on Interstate 85 when a Chevrolet Traverse slammed into his SUV from behind. The crash reportedly sent both vehicles off the road, where they hit several trees.
Shoffner and three of his passengers — including the 6-year-old girl and a 14-year-old — all had life-threatening injuries. They were taken to Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, troopers said.
Also taken to the hospital with serious injuries were the Traverse driver and two of her passengers, which included a 9-year-old, according to highway patrol.
The crash was reported at about 5:50 a.m. and shut down part of I-85 for about two hours. The closure was near Finch Farm Road and the city of Trinity, roughly 20 miles southwest of Greensboro.
It was at least the second recent fatal crash that officials said involved a Greensboro firefighter. On July 9, Rick Murrell and two other people were killed when a 16-year-old driver lost control on a Guilford County highway, McClatchy News reported.
In the more recent wreck, state troopers said there are pending charges against the Traverse driver.
“Speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash; however this is an ongoing investigation,” officials wrote in their release.
This story was originally published July 14, 2022 at 7:42 AM with the headline "Firefighter’s 6-year-old daughter dies after SUV slams into their vehicle, NC cops say."
