Dare County man now in stable condition following head-on highway crash Friday in KDH, 3 others released from hospital

A traffic crash led to a serious injury in Kill Devil Hills near the intersection of U.S. Highway 158 and Veelee Drive the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, according to police. (Photo courtesy Dare County GIS)

By Corinne Saunders

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KILL DEVIL HILLS — A Dare County man who sustained life-threatening injuries and required extrication following Friday afternoon’s head-on vehicle collision in Kill Devil Hills is now in stable condition, and three other people who were hospitalized have since been released, according to police.

Officers with the Kill Devil Hills Police Department responded to a serious head-on, two-vehicle collision near the intersection of U.S. Highway 158 (North Croatan Highway) and Veelee Drive around 1:39 p.m. Friday, according to a Town of Kill Devil Hills press release.

The press release was issued to area media outlets on Monday afternoon, following Outer Banks Insider’s Friday inquiry into the collision.

The crash remained under investigation as of publication time.

The police department’s preliminary investigation found that a 2006 Dodge Charger operated by 39-year-old Dare County resident Jeremy Lynch was traveling north on U.S. Highway 158 when the vehicle crossed into the southbound lane and crashed head-on with a North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) truck.

The truck, a 2024 Ford F-150 driven by 64-year-old NCDOT employee Jeffrey Ryder, was traveling south and carried two other NCDOT employees as passengers, according to the town’s press release.

The three NCDOT occupants’ injuries ranged from minor to serious, and Dare County Emergency Management Services (EMS) transported all three to The Outer Banks Health Hospital in Nags Head for treatment, according to the release.

“Lynch was trapped inside his vehicle and required extrication by the Kill Devil Hills Fire

Department while receiving critical medical care from Dare County EMS,” the release said. “Once removed from the vehicle, Lynch was transported by Dare MedFlight to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital [in Norfolk, Virginia] with life-threatening injuries.”

Lynch remained hospitalized in Norfolk, but his condition had improved to “stable condition” by Monday afternoon, according to Lt. Julie Haner of the Kill Devil Hills Police Department.

All three NCDOT employees were released from the hospital, Haner said on Monday afternoon.

As of press time, it remains unclear why Lynch apparently traveled across the turn lane and hit oncoming traffic.

“This incident remains under investigation and there have not been any charges at this time,” Haner said.

U.S. Highway 158 was closed between Prospect Avenue and Landing Drive until approximately 3:17 p.m. Friday because of the crash, according to the release.

“Both vehicles sustained extensive damage and were rendered inoperable, resulting in a full closure of both northbound and southbound [highway] lanes,” the release said.

As previously reported, this caused significant traffic delays, including bussing delays for two Kill Devil Hills schools.

The Kill Devil Hills Police Department in the release asked anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information related to the collision to call Officer Anthony Lane at 252-449-5337.

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