Man charged after two hospitalized after multicar head-on crash in Roanoke County

ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – A Rocky Mount man is charged after a crash sent two people to the hospital on Friday afternoon.

Jerry Davis Jr., 32, is charged with failure to drive on the right side of the road and not wearing a seatbelt.

The driver of the Chevy Trailblazer, 57-year-old Debra Brown, of Boones Mille, was not injured.

The two individuals in the Honda Accord, driver 69-year-old Hemlata Patel and 79-year-old Thakorbhai Patel, both of Roanoke, were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities say Hemlata Patel was wearing a seatbelt, but Thakorbhai Patel was not.

Police say the cause of the crash was Davis falling asleep and crossing the center line. Neither speed, drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash, according to police.

Two people had to be taken to the hospital on Friday afternoon after a multicar crash.

At 3:56 p.m., Roanoke County police said, a white GMC pickup truck traveling north on Merriman Road crossed the center line and sideswiped a Chevy Trailblazer. The male driver of the pickup truck was uninjured. 

The female driver of the Trailblazer was uninjured and her vehicle sustained minor damage. 

After hitting the Trailblazer, police said, the GMC crossed the double line into the other lane and collided head-on with a Honda Accord. The Honda went off the road backward and struck a house in the 5800 block of Merriman Road.

The female driver and male passenger inside the Honda were transported to the hospital. 

Residents were inside when the Honda hit the home but were not injured. The vehicle struck the side of the house near the garage.

The crash is still under investigation at this time and we will provide additional information when it becomes available.