Brakes failed on log truck that crashed in Four Oaks

A truck that crashed Tuesday in Four Oaks, spilling its haul of logs across the road, is the same vehicle involved in a hit-and-run that killed a 7-year-old girl last year in Harrells.

Posted 10:54 p.m. May 21, 2014 — Updated 10:54 p.m. May 21, 2014

FOUR OAKS, N.C. — A truck that crashed Tuesday in Four Oaks, spilling its haul of logs across the road, is the same vehicle involved in a hit-and-run that killed a 7-year-old girl last year in Harrells.

The driver, Henry Robinson of Fayetteville, told state troopers that the truck’s brakes failed as he tried to make a right turn at the intersection of N.C. Highway 96 and U.S. Highway 701, near Devils Racetrack Road.

No one was hurt, but the intersection was closed for hours as a crew cleaned up the mess.

Robinson was convicted in 2010 of drunken driving and drug charges.

The truck is owned by Richard Lucas Trucking in Roseboro. Lucas said Wednesday he bought the truck from his father following the fatal hit-and-run on April 23, 2013.

At that time, Ricky Lucas Trucking owned the truck when it passed a stopped school bus on U.S. Highway 421 in Sampson County and struck 7-year-old Alyiah Morgan.

The driver, Johnny Spell, remains in jail charged with driving while impaired, hit-and-run and second-degree murder.

Investigators didn't cite any safety problems with the big rig in that crash, although U.S. Department of Transportation records flag maintenance issues dating to 2012.

Documents also show Ricky Lucas Trucking was taken out of service.

Richard Lucas said Wednesday he owns a separate trucking company from his father on the same road in Roseboro. He says he bought the truck when his father shut down, and he sees no link of responsibility between Tuesday’s crash and last year’s hit-and-run.

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