7 dead, 1 injured in fiery North Carolina highway crash

Seven dessert company employees died and another driver was injured in a three-vehicle car accident last week, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

The accident happened around 6:02 p.m. Thursday on North Carolina Highway 711, about 44 miles southwest of Fayetteville. 

According to a news release from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the first two vehicles were traveling west on the highway, while a third vehicle was traveling east.

There were seven dessert company employees in the first vehicle. While trying to pass, the driver sideswiped the second vehicle and hit a third. The driver then drove off the highway and stopped in a swamp. Three passengers were ejected and the car caught on fire, the NCSHP said.

A 25-year-old man, John Hinston Dial, was driving the third vehicle and got off the highway before his vehicle stopped in the swamp near the first car, the agency said. Dial suffered serious, but non-life threatening injuries. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

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Officials identify car crash victims

Tyler Thomas, Town Manager of Pembroke, confirmed to USA TODAY Wednesday morning that the seven people who died that day worked for Dessert Holdings, one of the town’s industrial employers.

According to the NCSHP, three victims include:

• Exima Jean, 35
• Fednie Eloy, 29
• Orel Cacecus, 37

The agency said it is not sure if the crash victims had their seat belts on or were impaired, but for the first vehicle that sideswiped another car, speed may have led to the crash.

Authorities still don’t know much about the second vehicle that left the scene. Dial, who was driving the third vehicle, had his seat belt on that day, authorities said.

According to officials, the second and third vehicles did not cause the crash, and it is unlikely that weather was a factor either.

Fire Chief Justin Hunt of the Deep Branch Fire Department told local news outlets that working the scene of a crash such as this one leaves a "lasting impression" on those involved. 

"I've been in emergency services for 20 years and by far, this is the worst scene I have seen,” he said. “We’re always in a hurry. Sometimes, we just need to slow down.”

The State Highway Patrol Collision Reconstruction Unit is helping with the investigation, which is ongoing.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].