NC teen who studied crash deaths dies in wreck

RALEIGH -- A teenager who studied Johnston County's teen highway deaths as her senior high school project has died in a wreck near her home. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Monday that 18-year-old Shannon Nicole Adkins of Clayton was the 27th Johnston County teen to die in a wreck since the start of 2006. Highway Patrol trooper C.T. Oravits said Adkins was driving a pickup truck when a woman driving another pickup crossed into Adkins' lane Saturday night and struck her head-on. Oravits said 29-year-old Desiree Olsen of Clayton has been charged with driving while impaired. She was hospitalized at Wake Med in fair condition. Adkins graduated last spring from Clayton High School after completing her project on the teen deaths. Teen road deaths have become a focal point for school and Johnston County leaders. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)