Woman, 3-year-old son killed in head-on crash in Catawba County

CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — A woman and her 3-year-old son were killed in a head-on crash early Wednesday morning in Catawba County, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

Troopers said they responded around 3:20 a.m. to a double fatal collision on NC 16 near Mount Ruhama Church Road in Catawba County.

According to authorities, a 2007 BMW X3 was traveling north on NC 16 when it crossed the double yellow line and collided head-on with a 2018 Toyota Tundra heading southbound. The impact of the crash caused the pickup to run off the road to the right and overturn before landing on its side.

Troopers said the driver of the BMW, 20-year-old Allison Faith Presley and her son 3-year-old Aiden Presley both died at the scene. Presley’s passenger, 21-year-old Blake Evan Linstead Breneman was hurt, but is expected to be OK.

The driver of the Toyota, 30-year-old Jerry Vang, was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.

According to officials, the initial investigation indicates Presley may have fallen asleep while driving. Everyone in the car was wearing a seatbelt. Troopers said the child was restrained in a car seat however, it was not installed properly.

Troopers said the collision took place in a construction zone but was unrelated to ongoing work.

The highway was closed for about 3 hours while officials investigated.

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