A Wilson County man died and two passengers with him sustained serious injuries in a crash which occurred in the southbound lane of Interstate 95 this morning.

The collision, which involved two other vehicles, occurred just before the weigh station located near the 155 mile marker, Trooper T.J. Blount of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said.

Blount said the collision occurred between 6 and 6:30 a.m. as Seth Rothrock, 30, was traveling at a high rate of speed in an Acura. The trooper said Rothrock, who died in the collision, was driving “at the very least” 100 miles per hour.

Rothrock collided with a passenger vehicle, which caused that vehicle to strike the rear of a tractor-trailer. The occupants of the vehicle which was struck and the tractor-trailer driver were not injured.

Following the collision the Acura went off the roadway to the right and struck a billboard. 

A small dog in the Acura died, Blount said. The two passengers in the Acura sustained what the trooper described as serious injuries.

Brittany Batts, 24, of Wilson County, was airlifted to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville. Joshua Wilson, 31, of Wilson County, was transported to Nash General Hospital.

The vehicle which Rothrock struck sustained significant damage to the front and rear while the tractor-trailer sustained minor rear end damage. 

Blount said a blood test will be performed to determine the presence of any substances in the deceased.