Man Dies in 3-Truck Crash
Just hours after marking his 54th birthday, Victor Newman Jr. was killed in a three-truck crash at the intersection of U.S. 70 with Leesville Road.
About 4:30 a.m., Newman was on his way to the N.C. Farmer's Market in Raleigh with a load of his produce when his pickup truck collided with a tractor-trailer. Highway Patrol Sgt. R.L. Hawley said the accident occurred as Newman made a left turn onto U.S. 70 East. He pulled in front of a vehicle driven by Richard D. Dougherty Jr of Summerfield.
Both vehicles wound up in the eastbound lanes of U.S. 70. Then another tractor-trailer, driven by Quincy L. Kelly of Garner, hit Dougherty's trailer.
Investigators said Newman, of 911 Doc Nichols Road in Durham, died at the scene. A passenger in Dougherty's rig, Terry A. Mitchell of Oak Ridge, was injured but did not require hospitalization.
The wreck held up traffic on the busy road for several hours.
Newman, who had been a maintenance worker at Duke University for 30 years, was particularly proud that he was taking classes to learn to read. He was the father of three, and grandfather of two girls. His wife and other family members originally had planned to have a celebratory birthday dinner for him Saturday night. Instead, they are now planning Newman's funeral services.
