A violent midday crash on one of Goldsboro’s busiest roads left cars crushed beyond recognition, two people trapped, and an entire community shaken. For the first time, newly released dashcam footage is giving the public a close-up look at just how devastating the scene actually was.
The crash happened along US 70, a corridor well known for heavy traffic throughout the day. Post-lunch hour commuters were sitting at a red light doing what drivers do every single day, waiting their turn, when out of nowhere, a fully loaded 18-wheeler barreled through the intersection and into the line of cars ahead. In an instant, a routine Monday turned into something none of those drivers will likely forget.
Goldsboro Police confirmed that 11 people were injured in the crash. Of those, two were in such critical condition that they had to be airlifted directly from the scene. Those two individuals had been trapped inside their vehicle, which was so severely crushed that bystanders who rushed over could not physically get them out.
Traffic on US 70 was shut down for at least five hours while emergency crews worked to clean up the debris field and investigators began piecing together what went wrong. As of now, the exact cause of the crash has not been determined, and the investigation remains ongoing.
One Man Had a Dashcam Rolling, and It Caught Everything
Rico McDowell was sitting in traffic when the crash unfolded right in front of him. His dashcam captured the whole sequence of events, from the ordinary ebb and flow of afternoon traffic to the split-second moment the 18-wheeler came through. McDowell, a military veteran, said he was completely stunned by what he saw and heard.
He described the sound of the metal crumpling and cars being tossed around as unlike anything he had ever experienced, even after his time in the military. His first instinct was to call 911, then to get out and help. What he walked up to was almost unrecognizable. Cars were facing the wrong direction. Parts were spread across the road. The tractor-trailer itself had lost nearly its entire front bumper in the collision.
McDowell summed up the scene with a comparison that is hard to shake: he said it was like taking a soda can and crushing it, then scattering the pieces everywhere. He said he had never in his life seen a vehicle torn apart like that.
Two People Were Trapped and Could Not Be Freed Without Emergency Help
Among the most harrowing moments in McDowell’s account was what happened when he ran toward one vehicle in particular. Two people were still inside, completely trapped by the wreckage. The car had been so severely compressed that there was simply no way to get them out by hand. McDowell said he ran to help but had to stand by until trained rescue crews arrived.
Both of those individuals were ultimately airlifted to the hospital. Their current conditions have not yet been made public, though crews were still working to get updates in the hours following the crash. The fact that anyone was airlifted from the scene underscores just how high-speed or high-impact this collision must have been to cause that level of damage in what is otherwise standard surface street traffic.
What a Crash Like This Reminds Us About Road Safety
Large commercial vehicles like 18-wheelers are a constant presence on roads like US 70, which serves as a major east-west corridor through eastern North Carolina. While most of those trucks pass through without incident, crashes involving them tend to be catastrophic because of the sheer size and weight difference between a semi and a passenger vehicle.
Intersection crashes involving large trucks are among the deadliest types of road incidents in the country. When something goes wrong at highway speed near a red light, the vehicles around the truck have almost no time to react and very little protection. That reality is exactly why dashcam footage like McDowell’s is so valuable, not just for investigations, but for the public reminder that road conditions can change faster than anyone expects.
Whether the cause turns out to be mechanical failure, driver error, or something else entirely, this crash is a sobering reminder of why defensive driving, maintaining safe following distances, and being aware of large vehicles nearby can matter so much when it counts.
The Investigation Is Still Open
Goldsboro Police have not yet released a definitive cause for the crash. The five-hour road closure gave investigators time to document the scene, but determining exactly what triggered the 18-wheeler’s path through that intersection will likely take additional time, including a review of the dashcam footage, vehicle data, and witness accounts.
Anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed the crash may be asked to come forward as part of the ongoing investigation. Updates on the conditions of those injured, particularly the two who were airlifted, are also expected as more information becomes available.