Legislator Involved in Fatal Crash

No charges are expected to be filed against State Rep. Sam Ellis, who was involved in a Wake County wreck Wednesday in which a woman died.

Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Dunn of Selma were driving eastbound on Highway 70 in Garner when Dunn tried to turn left at a median. Ellis, coming westbound, said he tried to avoid hitting the couple's car, but failed.

Dunn's wife, Ruby D. Dunn, 65, died on the way to Wake Medical Center. She had suffered head and internal injuries.

The impact snapped the steering wheel of Ellis' pickup, and a steel toolbox in the back of the truck crushed the driver's compartment.

Ellis was treated for back injuries and released from Wake Medical Center. Dunn, 69, complained of rib and shoulder pain; he is listed in satisfactory condition at the medical center.

Ellis, 41, was quoted inThe News & Observeras saying, "I don't know what I can do to relieve (Dunn's) family's suffering. They've experienced an incredible loss."

Ironically, the Dunns had visited the General Assembly earlier in the day for a North Carolina Farm Bureau event, so they and Ellis had been around each other all day, as Ellis noted.

An investigating officer said Ellis had tried to avoid the accident, that he had been pulling his vehicle to the left to avoid the Dunns' car.