Fifteen injured when church van wrecks on I-40 near Benson
Fifteen people were taken to local hospitals Saturday morning after a wreck involving a church van on Interstate 40 West near Benson, investigators with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Posted — UpdatedThe wreck happened at about 8:45 a.m. when the van, which was traveling east on I-40 after leaving Holy Ground Praise Temple in Raleigh, crossed the center median and overturned twice on westbound lanes of the highway. A Highway Patrol trooper said the 15-passenger van lost control after one of its tires blew out.
Nine people in the van were taken to WakeMed, five were taken to a hospital in Clayton and one was taken to a hospital in Smithfield.
"All of a sudden - we did not hear a pop or anything, but the back of the van just started swerving," said pastor Allen Curtis.
Sandra Lark, 57, was injured critically, but all 15 people were released from the hospital Saturday afternoon, Curtis said.
Six of the people injured were 15 years old or younger, and the remaining nine were at least 44 years old. The driver of the van was 44-year-old Orlanda Bullock.
"I just remember the car swerving and when it flipped over, everybody was screaming," said passenger Kalee Mosley. "I remember that a whole bunch of people came and helped me and said 'are you OK? Do you want some water?'"
All lanes of westbound I-40 were shut down for about 90 minutes following the wreck. They reopened at about 10 a.m.
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