NCSHP identifies Hiddenite man killed in crash on Highway 64

FROM STAFF REPORTS

The NC State Highway Patrol has announced that no charges will be filed in connection with a crash that claimed the life of a Hiddenite man Sunday afternoon.

Anthony Drake Villeda, 30, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred Sunday around 4:10 p.m. in Iredell County on U.S. Highway 64 near Lippard Farm Road, the NCSHP said in a news release.

The crash occurred when Villeda, driving a 2005 Ford F-250, attempted to pass westbound vehicles in a no-passage zone on Highway 64 and collided with an eastbound 2025 Peterbilt semi-truck without a trailer , troopers reported.

An underage passenger in Villeda’s vehicle was not injured.

The driver of the Peterbilt, identified as Christopher Wesley Vowell, 54, of Hiddenite, was not injured, troopers said.

The initial investigation shows that careless and reckless driving contributed to the collision, the NCSHP said. No charges will be filed.

In the area of ​​the accident, Highway 64 was closed for approximately two hours.

Personnel from the West Iredell Fire Department, Iredell County Rescue Squad and Iredell County EMS responded to the scene.