On Saturday, April 19, at approximately 10:10 p.m., the North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded to a fatal crash on I-77 South near mile marker 62 in Iredell County.
According to investigators, a 2006 Ford F-250 traveling southbound struck a 2023 Kia Sportage, also traveling south. The impact caused both vehicles to leave the roadway on the right side and collide with a guardrail. The Kia subsequently overturned.
The driver of the Ford, 31-year-old Benjamin Wesley Overton of Walkertown, was not injured. The driver of the Kia, 47-year-old Jessica Lyndsay Horton of Mooresville, and her passenger, 47-year-old Patricia Marie Osorno, also of Mooresville, were both ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
Preliminary findings from the investigation suggest excessive speed and impairment were contributing factors in the collision. Overton was arrested and charged with driving while impaired, careless and reckless driving, two counts of felony death by vehicle, and driving while license revoked. He is currently being held at the Iredell County Detention Center under a $2,500,000 bond.
Authorities noted that additional charges may be filed pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation and consultation with the Iredell County District Attorney’s Office. The affected portion of I-77 was closed for approximately ten hours while the investigation and cleanup took place.
