Raleigh high school student killed in wreck

Raleigh, N.C. — An 18-year-old senior from Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School was killed Tuesday in a wreck on Sunnybrook Road at Interstate 440 in Raleigh.

Emergency personnel from Raleigh, Garner and Wake County responded to the crash at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, police spokesman Jim Sughrue said.

A 1996 Honda Accord driven by Chadius Watson, 18, was traveling south on Sunnybrook Road near the I-40 overpass when he apparently lost control of the vehicle and it collided head-on with a 1997 Chrysler Town & Country, Sughrue said.

The Chrysler was driven by Susan Mann, 44. The Honda was carrying four passengers: Kevin Jones, 18, Jonathan Jerel Smith, 18, Louis Owen Walker Jr., 17, Jabari Dickson, 19.

Jones was pronounced dead on the scene. The other occupants of both vehicles were transported by ambulance to WakeMed for treatment of injuries.

Watson, Walker Jr., and Mann were listed in good condition; Dickson was listed in critical condition. Smith was treated and released from the hospital.

Everyone except Mann was a student at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School, 2600 Rock Quarry Road. However, Mann is a school nurse, according to a Southeast Raleigh Magnet High official.

Traffic through the area was congested for about three hours as police investigated the wreck.

The investigation of the wreck is ongoing, and charges have not been filed at this time, Sughrue said.

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Latest Comments

My condolensces to the family.

I don't think this has anything to do with race. There's plenty of wrenching news that happens around here all the time that never seems to make the news (and should), and many goloers are from right here where I am....

familyfour
May 6, 2009 5:40 p.m.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the accident victims.

adw2
May 6, 2009 4:57 p.m.

"It's a shame that this story still isn't one of the top stories, I am thinking like one of the other posters, if this had been in N. Raleigh somewhere, this story would still be news."

Very wrong - there was an accident on leesville road yesterday afternoon, and I heard that a leesville high student may have been killed. It is nowhere to be found in the news.

Nope
May 6, 2009 3:40 p.m.

My daughter also attends SRHS and was upset yesterday, even though she only marginally knows the children involved. It is such a tragedy when we lose one of our children - and these children are "our" children because the whole community is grieving for them.

For anyone who thinks that there are racial components to the reporting on this story, please consider that Southeast is a magnet school and kids from all over the county attend that school. It's a stellar school and my daughter is getting a great education there.

I feel awful for the school nurse as well, who will live with this memory for the rest of her life. When we are sworn to protect these kids, and when we serve them every day, the last thing we want is to become a factor, even accidentally, in anything that may harm them.

I pray for all families involved - not just those injured, but those of friends, girlfriends, students and acquaintances. It takes a village to raise a child - and today that village is in mour

patriot4liberty
May 6, 2009 1:12 p.m.

I think it's simply disgusting how some people are trying to pull racial issues into such a sad story! Grow up people - this story is still in the news!

EnoughzEnough
May 6, 2009 12:20 p.m.