Fatal Raleigh Car Crash Leads to Second-Degree Murder Charges Against Hit and Run Drunk Driver
A 33-year-old Louisburg driver has been charged with felony death by vehicle, driving while impaired (DWI), two counts of serious injury by vehicle, resisting arrest, hit and run resulting in serious injury or death, and driving with a revoked license. Cory Lamar Henderson was trying to pass a vehicle driven by John Edward “Eddie” Ogburn on Saturday when he allegedly caused the fatal Raleigh car accident.
Henderson is accused of fleeing the Raleigh crash site on Old Wake Forest Road but was apprehended soon after. Police say that prior to the traffic accident, they saw Henderson driving recklessly. They say that they were going to pull him over only the accident happened before they could catch him.
Ogburn was transported to a North Carolina hospital where he was pronounced dead. The deadly accident took place just one block from his home. The two women riding in the vehicle with him, 29-year-old Raleigh resident Kristen Knutson and 27-year-old Southern Pines resident Jennifer Ragone, sustained injuries.
Prosecutors upgraded one of the charges to second-degree murder because they say that there is evidence of malice. Henderson has a prior DWI conviction in Wake County that occurred in 2004. Following Saturday’s North Carolina car accident, he fled from police and attempted to avoid getting arrested.
This Raleigh car crash took place during the NHTSA’s safety efforts with local enforcement to apprehend anyone driving under the influence. During the 15 years that the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program has participated in this campaign, local law enforcement officials have issued some 2,900,000 criminal and traffic citations. 103, 000 of these citations were for people who were driving while impaired.
Despite efforts by the federal and local governments, law enforcement officers, and safety advocates to stop drunken motorists from driving, too many North Carolina drunk driving crashes continue to happen. An experienced Raleigh car accident lawyer can help you determine whether you and your family have grounds for pursing a North Carolina personal injury lawsuit or wrongful death case.
1 dead, 3 hurt in wreck; DWI charged, The News & Observer, August 30, 2009
Man charged with murder in fatal Raleigh wreck, WRAL, September 2, 2009
Related Web Resources:
2009 Labor Day Crackdown Activities, GHSA
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
