Separate Durham crashes leave one driver dead, another critically injured

Separate car crashes Saturday in Durham left one person dead and another critically injured, police said.

Durham police said speed appears to be a factor in the fatal wreck. That took place around 9:30 p.m. in the 4300 block of Guess Road when a 2014 Lexus GX460 driving north hit a 2016 Ford Fusion while trying to pass the other car, police said. The Lexus overturned and hit the Eno River Bridge.

The driver of the Lexus died, while the driver and the passenger in the Fusion were injured and taken to the hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening, police said.

Police have not yet identified the driver who died.

Durham police said speed and impaired driving appear to be factors in Saturday’s other crash, which involved eight vehicles and critically injured a driver.

That wreck happened around 4:30 p.m. when a 2017 Ford Mustang headed west crashed into seven other vehicles that were waiting at the stoplight at Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard and Tower Boulevard.

Police said Durham resident Shaun Barrett, the 42-year-old driver of the Mustang, was taken to the hospital. There was no update on his condition.

The only other person hurt, police said, was a bystander whose minor injuries came from helping people involved in the crash.

Police want anyone with information on either crash to call either investigator J. Rose at 919-560-4935 ext. 29409 or CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200.