Teen siblings killed in head-on crash on way to school in North Carolina, police say
A brother and sister were going to school when they were killed in a head-on crash in North Carolina, officials said.
Kenneth Taylor, 15, and MiAsia Coles, 16, had just taken their younger siblings to middle school when they planned to head toward Vance County High School on Friday morning, family members and state troopers told multiple news outlets.
While MiAsia was driving, the two collided head-on with a pickup truck, according to ABC11, The News & Observer’s media partner.
The teens weren’t wearing seat belts and died at the site of the crash, C.J. Oxendine, a trooper with the N.C. State Highway Patrol, told WNCN. A mom and two kids in the other vehicle were reportedly injured and taken to a hospital.
As of Sunday, investigators were trying to figure out how the Henderson-area crash happened, ABC11 reported. Officials said the deadly wreck happened on Rock Mill Road, near the Virginia border and roughly 40 miles northeast of Raleigh.
Family members told news outlets the teens played sports and said losing them at the same time was a “double hit.”
“It’s tough,” James Kearney told WRAL. “Me, as an uncle, I was kind of a father figure to them. It hit me, hard.”
Kenneth and MiAsia attended Vance County High School, according to relatives. The Vance County school district in a statement said it planned to have counseling available after losing two students.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragedy that has impacted the family and our school community,” district officials said. “We are committed to serving the needs of the students and employees in the days and weeks to come.”
A representative from the N.C. State Highway Patrol didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for information on Monday morning.
This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Teen siblings killed in head-on crash on way to school in North Carolina, police say."
