Tragedy struck for a man and woman who decided to walk in the middle of U.S. Highway 17 North outside Washington during a downpour early Friday morning.
The couple – 21-year-old Jennifer Posta of Washington and 22-year-old Lindsay Grimes of Aurora – were wearing dark clothing as they walked in the center of a travel lane near Springs Road during a rainstorm. An unidentified motorist in a white Pontiac struck the couple. Posta died at the scene. Grimes was taken to Beaufort County Medical Center and transferred to Pitt County Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
“By the time (the motorist) saw them, it was over with,” said N.C. Highway Patrol Sergeant Tim Crumpler. “It was raining and you could not see 30 feet in front of you. They were walking with their backs toward traffic. I don’t know if they ever saw it coming.”
Crumpler indicated that the driver was not facing charges in the accident.
“(The motorist) stopped and called 911 and did the right things,” Crumpler said. “He was shook up and all to pieces.”
Accident investigators are waiting for blood test results to determine if drugs or alcohol were a factor in their decision to walk in the middle of the highway.