I-95 accident puts 2 in Pitt Memorial

I-95 accident puts 2 in Pitt Memorial

Two people were hospitalized after a tractor-trailer collided with a pickup truck Friday on Interstate 95.

The accident occurred around 3:30 p.m. in the southbound lanes near the 146-mile marker, said N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Dennis Tafoya.

Tafoya said Robert Kennedy, 71, of Hollister drove a 1994 Chevrolet pickup truck in the right lane when an 18-wheeler driven by Morris Wayne Hodge, 51, of Hartsville, Tenn., couldn't slow down in time and struck the pickup.

"(Hodge) slammed into the back of the (pickup) truck, causing the pickup truck to lose control and go off into the guardrail and flip and overturn several times," Tafoya said.

Kennedy and his passenger, Albert Ray Pippen, 44, of Rocky Mount were airlifted to Pitt County Memorial Hospital. A hospital spokeswoman said Saturday afternoon that Kennedy is in critical condition, and Pippen was treated and released. Hodge was unhurt.

A third vehicle, a 2001 BMW, sustained minor damage as a result of the accident, Tafoya said. Alcohol didn't contribute to the crash, Tafoya said.

Troopers cited Hodge for failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident.