Saturday around 4:30am a West Johnston High School senior lost her life and another teen is charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle. Shantoya Howard says she swerved to avoid a deer, when she ran off the road and struck a tree. A man who lives near the scene rushed in and pulled the passenger Ariel Hughes from the vehicle before it caught on fire, but she died upon impact. Troopers said the car was traveling 55mph in a 45 mph zone and Hughes wasn’t wearing a seat belt. Howard is recuperating from her injuries at WakeMed and funeral arrangements for Hughes are pending. Hughes’ death was the 9th of local high schoolers who have died in traffic accidents in less than two months.
