23-year-old NC police officer killed while helping person who crashed on I-540
KNIGHTDALE, N.C. October 18 2021 — A Knightdale police officer died in a car crash on Interstate 540 early Sunday morning.
The crash happened around 2:40 a.m. on eastbound I-540 near the Buffaloe Road exit.
Officers, including Ryan Hayworth, 23, were investigating a single-car crash in the area when another car crashed into the back of the officers’ patrol vehicle.
Hayworth, a three-month veteran of the force and former member of the US Army, was killed in the collision. Hayworth is the oldest son of retired Zebulon Police Chief Timothy Hayworth.
The other officer with Hayworth was seriously injured. He was rushed to the hospital and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
“Ryan’s loss is an indescribable tragedy for our department and our community,” Police Chief Lawrence Capps said. “The pain of his death (is) felt the most by his family, friends and those who knew him best.”
The driver of the initial crash, as well as the driver who crashed into Hayworth and the other officer were both seriously injured.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is now investigating the crashes. Alcohol has been named as a possible factor in at least one of the crashes.
