Man killed in U.S. 264 wreck identified

Published 4:00 pm Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Washington Police Department has identified the man killed in a head-on collision this afternoon as Jerome Ricks, 59, of Washington.

According to Washington Police and Fire Services Director Stacy Drakeford, Ricks was traveling east on U.S. Highway 264 in a black Hyundai when his vehicle apparently crossed the center turning lane and collided head-on with a Ford F150 that was traveling west. Drakeford says the F150 then turned sideways in the roadway and was struck by a Chevrolet Silverado.

Ricks was pronounced dead at the scene and that the other drivers suffered minor, non-life threatening injuries, according to Drakeford. The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation.

As a result of the accident, the westbound lanes of U.S. Highway 264 were closed down entirely while first responders cleared the scene. Eastbound traffic was restricted to one lane coming into town. Traffic is now flowing normally on the road.

No citations were issued in relation to the crash. The other drivers were from Greenville and Ayden.

Responding to the crash were the Washington Police Department, Washington Fire/Rescue/EMS, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Beaufort County EMS and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Note: A previous version of this story cited scanner traffic that reported one of the drivers was ejected from a vehicle. Drakeford said that no ejection took place.