GRAHAM, N.C. — Troopers said three people died in a wrong-way crash on I-85/I-40 in Alamance County early Friday morning. It happened around 2 a.m. near the Graham/Carrboro exit.
Elexus Lolisha Shaw, 30, was driving north in the southbound lanes of I-85 when she hit Abraham Rubio, 41, and passenger Ashley Mabe Rubio, 44, head-on.
They all died on-scene. There were no survivors in either vehicle.
Friends of the Rubios told WFMY News 2 the couple had just returned from a trip to Florida hours prior to the crash.
Kelly Palmer went to high school with Ashley Rubio.
"She was just a very sweet girl; she loved the Lord. We played volleyball together probably 20 years ago. She was just very sweet, and she would help you if there was something that you needed," Palmer.
Troopers said they gathered video showing Shaw entering the interstate going the wrong way. The head-on collision happened approximately two miles from that location near Jimmie Kerr Road (exit 150).
Investigators are uncertain why Shaw entered the interstate the wrong way. However, they said there are three instances when crashes like these usually unfold.
"Impaired driving is definitely one of those, a couple of different other instances is elderly folks, for whatever reason, they may not drive a whole lot, so they may be confused with the signage. Also, folks with dementia. Those are usually the three instances we see with wrong-way drivers," said Trooper Brian Martin with NC Highway Patrol.
Martin said it's important to pay attention to the roadways to prevent crashes like these.
"Stay off our phones. Don't text. Don't be searching the web, social media, whatever it may be. We just need to focus on the roadway," he said.
This investigation is ongoing.
