One Killed, Four Injured In Wilmington Crash

On November 20, a 31-year-old man from Southport died and four others suffered personal injuries when a truck collided with a car at the intersection of 17th and Market streets in Wilmington. The truck was launched about 20 feet into the air and collided with a utility pole.

The deceased man was identified by police as Michael Demetrius Clemmons. The other occupant of the truck, 29-year-old Southport resident Derrick Odell Moore, received transport to New Hanover Regional Medical Center, where he was listed in very serious but stable condition as of November 21, according to Wilmington police spokeswoman Lucy Crockett.

Crockett said that both men were ejected from the vehicle. Police have not determined who was driving the pickup.

Three people in the Pontiac Vibe that the truck collided with also suffered injuries in the crash and required hospital transport. Their names have yet to be released, but Crockett said hospital officials expect them to survive.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the pickup may have initially struck a car at 23rd and Market streets before fleeing westbound on Market Street at a high rate of speed before the collision with the Pontiac.

According to Wilmington police traffic Officer Mark Anderson, the driver of the first vehicle hit by the truck, a TV news production assistant who was en route to work at the time, said the truck repeatedly rear-ended his vehicle. Crockett said the driver declined medical attention.

Charges are pending, as the crash remains under investigation.