Mother of four killed in Christmas Eve crash

A 28-year-old woman killed Christmas Eve in a single-vehicle wreck leaves behind four small children and a mourning family.

Troopers say Clifton Alston told them he was arguing with his wife, Jessica, as they left a family gathering Saturday night.

Their car veered off Axtell Ridgeway Road, near U.S. Highway 1 in Norlina, then hit a ditch and overturned. Neither person was wearing a seat belt, and both were thrown from the car, according to Sgt. Chuck Taylor of the state Highway Patrol.

Jessica Alston died of her injuries, and her husband, 33, survived. The couple has four children. None of them were in the car.

Jessica's mother, Bettie Samuel, said she is devastated. "Jessica is my only child. That's my only child," she said. 

"I'm trying to hold up," Samuel said. "It's just hard."

Further details, including who was driving the car, weren't clear. Troopers did say that careless driving was the cause of the wreck and that alcohol was not a factor.