Injured driver charged with DWI in Selma wreck

Selma, N.C. — An driver who was airlifted after a single-vehicle wreck on Friday night faces multiple charges, including driving while impaired.

State troopers said Charles Elvis Romero, of Selma, was going about 70 mph around a curve on Lizzie Mill Road, near Pine Level Micro Road, around 9:15 p.m. Investigators believe Romero lost control of his car, and it hit a ditch, slammed into a utility pole's guide wire and flipped multiple times.

Romero, who was not wearing a seat belt, was partially ejected through the passenger's windshield, but his arm got entangled, making it difficult for rescuers to extricate him, state troopers said.

A medical helicopter picked up Romero at Selma Elementary School, which troopers said was the closest landing spot. He was taken to the trauma unit at WakeMed in Raleigh, where he underwent surgery late Friday.

Romero was listed in critical condition on Saturday afternoon.

Romero faces charges of DWI, reckless driving, operating a motor vehicle with fictitious tags, not wearing a seat belt and not turning on the vehicle's headlights.

Troopers said Romero smelled of alcohol at the scene and they were waiting on test results.

A judge permanently revoked Romero's driver's license after he was convicted of reckless driving in June 2005. His license had also been revoked in 2003, according to state Department of Correction records.