Three killed in head-on crash on main Outer Banks highway, North Carolina troopers say

Three people died after a head-on crash on the main thoroughfare that connects parts of the Outer Banks, troopers said.

Another three people were taken to hospitals following the crash, which reportedly happened after a minivan veered into oncoming traffic on N.C. Highway 12, according to 1st Sgt. S. D. Hurley of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

Troopers reported being called to the scene at about 11 a.m. June 12. About 30 minutes later, a photo posted online showed traffic backed up along the coast.

“Highway 12 is currently closed near the Pea Island Visitor Center due to a serious traffic accident,” the N.C. Department of Transportation posted on Facebook, later sharing that the stretch had reopened but that traffic was expected to be slow.

Troopers said a Dodge Caravan was traveling south on the highway when the driver approached a curve and crossed the center line. The minivan then slammed into a Chevrolet SUV that had been going north, Hurley told McClatchy News in a phone interview

Two of the people killed in the crash were identified as 67-year-old Chevrolet driver Carolyn Elmore of Bracey, Virginia, and one of her passengers, 87-year-old Elizabeth Sadler of Blackridge, Virginia. The third person who died was 25-year-old Elijah Midgette of Rodanthe, who had been behind the wheel of the Dodge Caravan, according to highway patrol.

Three other people riding with Elmore were injured and taken to nearby hospitals, Hurley said.

The crash was reported in Dare County, about 10 miles south of the popular vacation destination of Nags Head.

N.C. 12 stretches more than 140 miles and connects parts of the Outer Banks barrier islands by road. Though the highway has been a boon to tourism, the “encroaching sand and sea” have led the state to consider how to keep traffic flowing, The News & Observer reported in 2021.

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