SANFORD, N.C. — Authorities are investigating a tragic head-on collision that claimed three lives early Saturday morning along NC-87 in Harnett County.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred around 4:30 a.m., prompting the North Carolina Department of Transportation to issue an alert notifying drivers that both directions of NC-87 near Broadway Road were closed.
Troopers said a Toyota Camry was traveling along NC-87 when it crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Chevy Z71 pickup truck.
The driver of the pickup, identified as 28-year-old William T. Underwood, died at the scene. Investigators reported that Underwood was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Officials confirmed that two of the three passengers inside the Camry also died as a result of the collision. The third passenger was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
Troopers said all three passengers in the Camry were stationed at Fort Bragg. The names of the deceased service members are being withheld pending notification of their next of kin through the military installation.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. NC-87 was reopened to traffic around 7 a.m. Saturday after crews cleared the scene.
