Garner police search for driver after hit-and-run injures two on U.S. 70

Garner police are searching for the driver of a white Volkswagen SUV after a red-light crash at U.S. 70 and Mechanical Boulevard near U.S. 401 sent two people to a Raleigh hospital and shut down westbound lanes for nearly an hour.

Police said the wreck was reported just after 6:35 p.m. Saturday, when the Volkswagen was traveling west on U.S. 70, ran the red light and slammed into the side of a blue car crossing from Mechanical Boulevard to Garner Station Road. The force of the impact closed westbound U.S. 70 lanes for nearly an hour, disrupting one of Garner’s busiest traffic corridors.

The two people inside the blue car were taken to WakeMed in Raleigh. Officers said their injuries did not appear life-threatening.

The SUV driver got out after the crash and fled on foot. Investigators believe the person headed toward Raleigh. Police said the white Volkswagen was not stolen, and they had searched the vehicle and developed leads, but had not yet found the driver believed responsible.

The crash landed at a location that has drawn transportation attention for years because of congestion and safety concerns. A 2018 feasibility and impact analysis for the U.S. 70/U.S. 401/Garner Station Road/Mechanical Boulevard area examined long-term ways to manage traffic and improve safety. NCDOT also announced on April 27 a more than $26 million upgrade to U.S. 401 in Garner that will add lanes, Reduced Conflict Intersections, synchronized traffic signals, sidewalks and high-visibility crosswalks.

State transportation officials say crash-data maps and intersection summaries help identify high-crash locations and guide safety planning, which is why a hit-and-run tied to a red light at this junction carries significance beyond a single evening wreck. U.S. 70 and U.S. 401 funnel steady local and through traffic through Garner, and Mechanical Boulevard connects that movement to neighborhoods and business traffic heading toward Garner Station Road.

For investigators, the most useful evidence is likely to come from drivers with dashcam video, nearby businesses with exterior cameras, and anyone who can place the white Volkswagen SUV leaving the area around 6:35 p.m. The crash shows how quickly a signal violation at a major Wake County intersection can turn into a hospital run, a police search and a traffic backup all at once.