Serious Crash Closes U.S. 64 Near Wendell Early Monday Morning

One vehicle ended up on top of another in the pre-dawn darkness of eastern Wake County, forcing state troopers and emergency crews to shut down eastbound U.S. Highway 64 near Wendell for roughly two and a half hours early Monday.

The collision was reported around 1 a.m. on March 23, leaving two heavily damaged cars tangled in the roadway. Troopers from the N.C. State Highway Patrol secured the scene alongside local emergency agencies, closing the eastbound lanes while investigators documented the wreck and crews cleared the debris. The road reopened at about 3:30 a.m.

Although traffic thins considerably at that hour compared to the morning rush, U.S. 64 is the primary east-west artery linking Wendell and Zebulon to Raleigh, and a full closure affects shift workers, overnight delivery drivers, and anyone with an early start. Drivers needing to move west before the road reopened had two realistic detour options: U.S. 64 Business, which threads through downtown Wendell along Wendell Boulevard before reconnecting with the main highway, or NC 97 through the Lizard Lick area, which runs a roughly parallel path across eastern Wake County toward the metro.

The identities of those involved had not been released as of Monday morning. Troopers were investigating whether impairment, speed, or reduced nighttime visibility contributed to the wreck. Standard crash investigations on this scale draw on witness statements, traffic-camera footage where available, and forensic vehicle analysis conducted in the days following the incident.

The stretch of U.S. 64 in and around Wendell carries a documented record of serious collisions. Prior incidents on this corridor have included a car that struck a tree along the Wendell segment, a multi-vehicle crash that sent nine people to the hospital, and a collision at U.S. 64 and Rolesville Road that required a medical helicopter response. Crashes in the hours between midnight and 4 a.m. on rural highway corridors like this one draw particular scrutiny from troopers, given the convergence of low visibility, driver fatigue, and the elevated likelihood of impairment that investigators flag in late-night collisions statewide.

Anyone with dashcam footage or direct knowledge of the March 23 crash can contact the N.C. State Highway Patrol. The investigation was continuing as of this week.