Last Updated on July 28, 2026 10:06 am
WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal collision that killed a Crumpler man in Ashe County late Monday night.
Troopers responded to the crash on Idlewild Road near Worth McNeil Road at approximately 10:30 p.m. Monday, July 27. According to the Highway Patrol, a 2001 white Dodge Dakota pickup truck was traveling north on Idlewild Road when it ran off the right side of the roadway. The driver overcorrected, causing the vehicle to cross the road, leave the left side, strike an embankment and overturn. The driver was ejected from the vehicle during the overturn.
The driver, Eric Steven Rominger, 47, of Crumpler, died from injuries sustained in the collision.
The Highway Patrol's investigation does not indicate impairment as a contributing factor. Speed was determined to be a contributing factor in the crash.
The roadway was closed for approximately one hour during the investigation. No charges will be filed.
