A 5-year-old is dead after a single vehicle collision on Tuesday in Brunswick County.
At 4:56 a.m., a trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) was dispatched to U.S. 74 eastbound near Mount Misery Road, according to a NCSHP news release.
A 2007 Chrysler van was located facing westbound in the eastbound lanes. The sliding door window on the passenger side of the vehicle was broken out, according to the release.
Investigations revealed the van was traveling east on U.S. 74, ran off the road to the right and struck a metal guardrail on the shoulder. The unbelted backseat passenger was ejected from the passenger side sliding door window.
The driver of the vehicle continued eastbound about half a mile before realizing the passenger had been ejected. They returned to the scene to look for the passenger.
A Brunswick County deputy arrived on scene and located the body of the 5-year-old passenger, who died on scene as a result of the collision. The driver was the mother of the deceased juvenile, according to Sgt. James E. Ballard with NCSHP.