Statesville, NC (November 28, 2020) – The North Carolina Highway Patrol responded to the scene of a fatal accident on Interstate 40 in Statesville on Thursday. The crash took place near mile marker 146 around 6:30 p.m.
According to First Sgt. Rusty Jones, 49-year-old Joanna Leigh Durham of Statesville was driving a Kia SUV eastbound on I-40 when her car ran off the right side of the roadway and collided with a tree. Rescue workers arrived and pronounced Durham dead at the crash scene. Her passenger, 33-year-old Mario Hernandez, was hurt in the crash. Hernandez was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital for treatment of serious, but non-life-threatening, injuries. There were no other vehicles involved in the crash and no other injuries were reported.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation at this time. An investigation is ongoing.
We wish to extend our most sincere thoughts and condolences to all who were affected by this tragic fatal car accident in Statesville.
North Carolina Car Accidents 
According to the most recent statistics, there are nearly 1,500 victims of fatal car accidents in North Carolina each year. This number has remained relatively constant over the past several years although the total number of crashes in our state continues to rise. There is nothing more devastating and heartbreaking for a family than to lose a loved one in a crash. This is especially true when your loved one is suddenly taken from you in a car accident that is someone else’s fault.
If you have lost your loved one to a car accident in North Carolina, you could have valuable and important legal rights. Under North Carolina law, families of car accident victims may be entitled to file a claim against the driver that was responsible for the accident. These claims may be filed up to two years following the accident. While there is no amount of money that can replace the loss of your loved one, obtaining compensation can be helpful to deal with some of the unexpected expenses that you may face during this difficult time. This can include payment of funeral and medical expenses, lost wages, loss of consortium, punitive damages, and more.
Only an experienced North Carolina wrongful death lawyer can make sure that your claim is fully protected. Wrongful death lawsuits are complicated and should only be handled by a lawyer with experience in this area. At Burton Law Firm, attorney Jason M. Burton helps crash victims and their families throughout our state. Since 2012, we have successfully recovered more than 40 million dollars in total compensation on behalf of our clients. We would be honored to assist you as well.
Our firm is standing by to assist you at any time. We handle most cases on a contingency fee basis so there is no financial obligation on your part until we obtain a recovery on your behalf. To schedule your free consultation and case evaluation with a member of our team, please contact us using the link on our website or give us a call at (833) 623-0042.
Note: Burton Law Firm utilizes a variety of outside sources in the creation of these accident news posts. These sources include news bulletins, police reports, first-hand accounts, news stories, as well as additional outside sources. For this reason, the details surrounding this accident have not been independently verified by our office or writing staff. If you find information that is not correct about an accident that we have written about, please contact our firm as soon as possible so that we can promptly correct the information. If you would prefer that we remove the story, contact us directly and we will make every effort to remove the story in a timely manner.
Disclaimer: Our team of personal injury lawyers at Burton Law Firm has taken pride in being active members of our local business community for more than 8 years. We are always striving to improve the quality of life for our community members and improve the overall safety and well-being of all North Carolinians. We hope that by providing this information about the dangers of driving that we will bring added awareness and drivers will use increased caution when operating a motor vehicle. Our thoughts are with everyone who may have been affected by this incident. This post is not a solicitation for business. None of the information in this post should be misconstrued as medical or legal advice. The photos in this post are not a depiction of the actual accident scene.