Two killed, seven injured in Sunday crash

VANCEBORO — Two unrelated women who lived about 20 miles from each other in Maryland were killed and seven passengers injured in a head-on collision about a mile south of Vanceboro Sunday evening.

Loriann Bobotek, 47, of Ellicott City, Md., was driving a Dodge Caravan south on U.S. 17 when she passed a vehicle. Christina Sonn, 35, of Parkville, Md., was traveling north when Bobotek’s vehicle struck her small SUV.

The Dodge was carrying five occupants and the SUV had four occupants. Bobotek and her passengers were vacation-bound to Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Highway Patrol Trooper R.C. Riley, who investigated the 6:30 p.m. crash, said Bobotek apparently did not see the other vehicle coming.

Riley said Bobotek and Sonn died shortly after the crash.

“The highway was not curvy. It was a straight roadway and it was not on a hill,” Riley said.

Alcohol and speed were not factors in the wreck, Riley said.

The surviving passengers in both vehicles were taken to Pitt County Memorial Hospital. As of Monday afternoon, two remained hospitalized.

Riley said volunteers from the Vanceboro Fire Department helped with traffic flow. He said the roadway was congested for about two hours.