Two people died Tuesday night after a car crash struck a tree near the Meadowmont Village neighborhood in Chapel Hill, according to police.

A release from the town government early Wednesday morning said both the Chapel Hill Police and Chapel Hill Fire departments responded to a report of a vehicle on fire around 9:40 p.m. Tuesday. Upon arrival to the scene in the 600 block of West Barbee Chapel Road — which is off North Carolina 54/Raleigh Road — they found the driver and passenger of the car dead.

According to police, the initial investigation found the driver had struck a tree. Wednesday’s release, however, said the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

An update from Chapel Hill Police after 4 p.m. identified the driver as 50-year-old Lisa Marie Yanez of Carrboro and the passenger as 40-year-old Vaughn Avery Booker of Durham.

The 600 block of West Barbee Chapel Hill, where police say two people died from a single-car crash on Tuesday night. (Photo via Google Maps.)

As of Wednesday morning, no additional information about the crash or its victims is available from Chapel Hill Police.


Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.