WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — One person is dead after a crash in Ashe County Wednesday, according to North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
The crash happened around 9:30 a.m. on NC 163 near Heritage Farm Road, troopers said. A 2015 Toyota Tacoma was traveling north and crossed the center line. That's when it struck a 2004 Toyota Tacoma head-on.
Gary Jackson Taylor, 80, of West Jefferson was driving the 2004 Tacoma. He was taken to Ashe Memorial Hospital where he later died.
A 16-year-old was driving the 2015 Tacoma and was taken to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem. Troopers say the teen was not wearing a seatbelt and is in serious condition.
An initial investigation found speed and impairment were not contributing factors in the crash. NC 163 was closed in the area for about two hours.
Charges are pending.
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