Horrific Wreck Kills 4, Injures 2

One Raleigh policeman described it as the worst wreck he's handled in 25 years. A two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Six Forks Road and Atlantic Avenue early Saturday evening left four people dead and two critically injured. No victims have been identified, pending notification of families.

Police say a Mazda RX-7 with four men inside was running more than 90 mph when the driver lost control on a turn. The car skidded more than 100 feet before crossing the center line into the path of a Plymouth minivan. The van held two people.

The toll of dead and injured could have been even higher: the wrecked vehicles came to rest within mere feet of a construction crew doing road work.

One construction worker said the Mazda had just two wheels touching the ground when he spotted the speeding car. The van hit the car broadside.

Everyone in the car died. Documents found in the car lead police to believe the men were Mexican citizens.

Police said the van's passengers were a 48-year-old Raleigh man and a 48-year-old woman from Cherryville. They are listed in critical condition at Wake Medical Center.

Cleaning up the scene closed the busy roadway for more than five hours.

On Friday evening, a three-vehicle accident in Franklin County killed three people at the scene and sent a driver to hospital by helicopter.

The Highway Patrol said Ruben Lopez Patricio, 21, failed to yield the right-of-way when turning from NC 98 onto US 401. Patricio is in critical condition at UNC Hospitals. The three who died were Patricio's passengers: Agusto Patricio, Jose-Luis Patricio and Jaciel Patricio, all of the same Louisburg address. None of the men wore a seatbelt.

Drivers of the two other vehicles in the crash were treated at a local hospital and released. They had been wearing seatbelts.