Young mother is Triangle's first traffic fatality of 2021

Shadeshia Brooks, of Graham, was driving toward Durham on I-85 when she lost control of her Ford pickup near the Interstate 40 split near Hillsborough shortly after 1:30 p.m., authorities said.

The pickup ran off the right side of the highway, hit a guardrail and overturned. Brooks, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the truck and killed, authorities said.

Speed wasn't a factor in the crash, authorities said, but they are still trying to determine if road conditions played a role.

Northbound I-85 was closed for a couple of hours as authorities investigated the crash, but the highway had reopened by 4 p.m.