Driver traveling wrong way, charged in fatal wreck

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Tags:

wake county, accident, i440, raleigh police, nc highway patrol, local/state

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A 23-year-old Wake County woman is facing several charges in connection with a fatal accident that shut down the Beltline Sunday.

The accident happened around 4:20 a.m. on I-440 between Western Boulevard and Hillsborough Street.

Raleigh Police said 23-year-old Sarah Aimee Carden was driving the wrong way in the westbound lanes when a car swerved to miss her and crashed.

According to the accident report, 30-year-old Tshimpangil Bajani ran off the roadway, overcorrected and overturned. His vehicle flipped several times, before crossing over the guardrail.

Bajani was killed, while his passenger, 25-year-old Adrina Angelica Moore, suffered serious injuries. Moore was later released from the hospital Sunday.

Police said Carden was still driving the wrong way on I-440 when the North Carolina Highway Patrol stopped her near Six Forks Road. They said Carden's alcohol blood level was .16 -- more than twice the legal limit.

She was taken into custody and charged with; felony death by vehicle, felony serious injury by vehicle, felony hit-and-run resulting in death, felony fleeing to elude arrest, careless and reckless driving, driving while impaired, and traveling the wrong way on a dual lane highway.

Carden had previously been charged for injury to personal property on May 30 in an unrelated incident.

Meanwhile, both directions of I-440 had to be closed for several hours as authorities cleared the scene.