A Henderson woman has been charged in connection with a head-on collision that took the lives of two Vance County High School students last month, according to the Highway Patrol.
Jessica Johnson Burke was charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, driving left of center and driving with no operator’s license, according to an accident report filed by Trooper C.J. Oxendine. The accident occurred on the morning of Oct. 29 on Rock Mill Road, just south of the intersection with Vicksboro Road. Speed was not a factor in the crash, according to the accident report.
The report narrative states that a 2009 Hyundai driven by Miasia Coles of Henderson was traveling south on SR 1519 (Rock Mill Road) and crossed the center line into northbound traffic. Burke was driving a 2011 Nissan north on Rock Mill Road and crossed the center line into southbound traffic, which caused Coles to swerve back into the southbound lane and collide with Burke’s vehicle.
Coles and her brother, a passenger in the car, were killed in the accident. Burke and her two children who were passengers in the car, were all taken to Duke University Hospital with injuries.
Burke has a court date of Feb. 11, 2022.