LIBERTY, N.C. — 34-year-old Dustin Clapp died Monday after troopers said he was hit by an impaired driver near Pleasant Garden.
Married for almost five years, Dustin and Kaley Clapp were each other’s best friends.
“We weren’t together forever, but when we were together, it was forever, and it wasn’t long enough,” Kaley said. “I knew how much I loved him, but it was evident how much he loved me too.”
Now she heads into her second night without him.
Dustin was headed down NC-62 near Pleasant Garden around 2 p.m. when 52-year-old Lance Miller crossed over the center line and hit the side of Dustin’s semi-truck causing it to flip. Dustin died instantly.
Kaley said her husband had a great heart and always made sure she was OK.
"He chose me and I chose him, and we could just sit and hold hands and he would just say 'I love you' out of the blue,” she said.
The couple took lots of trips and both had a love for animals.
"He lit up a room if he thought you were not having a good time. It was like his mission to make sure that you were having a good time," she said.
Building a trucking company from the ground up, Dustin was driven and he influenced lots of people.
“I just miss him and I just want - I want him back," Kaley said.
The suspect, Lance Miller of West Virginia, was not injured.
Troopers arrested him for reckless driving and DWI.