Wrong-way driver hits car, truck, dies on U.S. 1 in Apex

A man driving the wrong way on northbound U.S. Highway 1 in Apex died Saturday morning after he caused a collision that involved two other vehicles.

Authorities said Javier Antonio Tello, 22, of Sanford, may have been headed home after visiting a friend in Cary.

Tello plowed his Jeep Patriot into a Chevy Equinox on U.S. 1 between Ten-Ten Road and N.C. Highway 55, troopers said, then kept going and hit a tractor-trailer head-on. He died at the scene.

The driver of the Chevy, William Ratliss, was taken to WakeMed in Cary with serious injuries. The driver of the truck, Brian Casey, was not injured.

Northbound lanes of U.S. 1 were closed from the time of the crash – just after 5:30 a.m. – until about 11 a.m. Traffic was diverted from the limited-access highway onto N.C. Highway 55 (Williams Street) through downtown Apex and back to U.S. 1 where it merges with U.S. 64.

A North Carolina Highway Patrol representative said Tello was the only person at fault. With his death, no charges will be filed.

A toxicology screen was planned to determine if Tello was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.