Grafton man killed in North Carolina crash

A Grafton man died Sunday in a head-on collision on a North Carolina highway that left two others dead and five injured.

The Robesonian, based in Lumberton, NC, reported that Thomas Holland of Grafton was driving southbound on Interstate 95 in his 2018 Toyota when he crossed the median and struck a northbound vehicle head-on. Both Holland and his passenger, Debra Anderson, 60, of Oxford, died at the scene. Anderson, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle.

The news report, and subsequent reports picked up by the Associated Press, reported Holland’s age as 44. He was 54, according to online records and numerous Grafton residents mourning his death on social media.

The accident happened about 2:34 p.m. Sunday, four miles north of the South Carolina line. Four vehicles were involved.

Gail Lee, 73, of Deland, Florida, the passenger in the northbound 2017 Ford SUV, also was killed in the accident. The driver of the Ford, David Lee, also 73 and from Deland, Florida, suffered serious injuries.

After the two vehicles struck there was a chain reaction involving two other vehicles, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol’s report. Four more people suffered what were termed “evident” injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening.

Both the Toyota and the Ford were destroyed.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.