CLAYTON, N.C. (WPTF) – The driver of a cargo tanker is dead after a rollover crash in Johnston County Monday afternoon (March 16).
Around 2 p.m. troopers were dispatched to a fatal collision involving a single-vehicle cargo tank rollover on US-70 (I-42 Eastbound) near Ranch Road in Johnston County.
The driver of the tanker, 55, Robert Lee Williams, was transporting animal waste (fat) eastbound on US-70. Williams traveled off the roadway to the left and subsequently overcorrected while attempting to reenter the roadway, causing the vehicle to overturn. During the collision, the cargo tank trailer became detached from the cab. The cab came to rest on its rooftop facing south in the roadway, while the cargo trailer came to rest partially in the roadway, also facing south.
The tanker was owned by Bailey Feed Mill in Selma, according to the highway patrol.
Williams was pronounced deceased at the scene. He was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision. Driver inattention and oversteering are considered contributing factors. Speed and alcohol are not believed to be contributing factors. No charges are being filed
The accident led to an extended closure in the area.