An 18-year-old died Wednesday in a one-car crash on N.C. 87 north of Tar Heel, near N.C. 20.

Sgt. J.N. Bell of the N.C. Highway Patrol said Anthony Neil McMillan, 18, was driving north in the southbound lane of N.C. 87 when he attempted to avoid a southbound vehicle and ran off the road.

Investigators estimated McMillan was traveling at around 85 miles per hour when he lost control of his car.

McMillan's 1992 Oldsmobile struck a chain link fence and two trees before overturning in the front yard of a residence near the intersection of N.C. 87 and Purdie Hall Road.

The crash occurred round 4:30 p.m., Bell said.

He was not wearing a seatbelt, Bell said. There is no preliminary evidence of drugs or alcohol.

The Oldsmobile was demolished. Parts of the vehicle were scattered along the highway and the fenceline, and the car caused two large scrapes where it collided with a pine tree.

Emergency workers spread sheets across the fence to shield the crash site while investigators, including Bladen County Coroner Hubert Kinlaw, examined the vehicle.

McMillan lived at 5426 Chickenfoot Rd., in Bladen County. He was the sixth person to die on Bladen roads this year. Seventeen people died on the county's highways last year.

Responding departments included Tar Heel Fire Dept., Tar Heel Rescue, Tobermory Fire Dept., and Bladen County EMS.

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