A failure by an allegedly impaired driver to yield the right of way and his passenger neglecting to buckle up led to the latter’s death in a collision near Mount Airy, the N.C. Highway Patrol said.

The accident that resulted in the death of Olin James Grimes, 53, of Fancy Gap Road, Mount Airy, occurred Tuesday at 4:10 p.m., but details on the incident were not available until Wednesday.

Grimes, who was in the right-front passenger seat of a 1988 Ford Festiva being operated by Hillery Wayne Barker, 53, of Lowgap, was ejected when that vehicle collided with another on N.C. 89-West near the Brintle’s truck stop.

Barker allegedly turned in front of a 2000 Ford Taurus driven by Ruth Goad Davis, 59, of Mount Airy, which contained a 3-year-old who was riding in a child-restraint seat in the rear passenger compartment of the vehicle. Davis was transported to Northern Hospital of Surry County complaining of chest pains, while no injuries were reported to the child.

The accident blocked traffic in the westbound portion of N.C. 89, with its eastbound section temporarily converted to two lanes to accommodate the late-afternoon flow of vehicles.

As a result of the crash, Barker has been charged with driving while impaired, and the investigation is continuing, according to Trooper Jason Vindich of the N.C. Highway Patrol, who handled the wreck that heavily damaged both cars.

Vindich said that a meeting is planned with the county’s district attorney to determine if there is sufficient cause to issue a felony death by vehicle charge against Barker as well. “I’m sure we’ll get with the D.A.,” Vindich said.

The compact car containing Barker and Grimes had been heading east on N.C. 89 and Barker attempted a left turn across the westbound lanes to reach the parking area of a Marathon store and a Subway restaurant.

However, his alleged failure to yield the right of way resulted in the collision with the Davis car, according to the trooper. He said the site of the crash is just east of Interstate 77 about five-tenths of a mile from the truck stop.

Grimes, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle and severely injured, prompting officials to summon an AirCare helicopter to the scene. The aircraft had to land just down the road from the crash in a flat area of the highway in front of the truck stop, where an ambulance transported Grimes to be placed on the helicopter.

The victim was flown to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, where he was pronounced dead at 7:45 p.m., according to Vindich.

Meanwhile, Barker was trapped in the wreckage and had to be cut from his car by the Mount Airy Rescue Squad. Afterward, he was transported by ground ambulance to the Winston-Salem facility, where he was listed in stable condition.

“With speed, alcohol and no seat belt, you’re asking for disaster,” the trooper said in summing up the fatal crash.

He described the collision as a classic example of the value of seat belts and child restraints in saving lives. “That could have possibly helped Mr. Grimes — he was not wearing one and that’s why he got ejected,” Vindich said.

On the other hand, “I believe seat belts helped the vehicle traveling west,” he added in reference to the two occupants of Davis’ car. The driver had buckled up, which likely prevented serious injury, although she was taken to the hospital for X-rays regarding the chest pain.

The child, whom Vindich declined to identify, also was safely confined in the back seat.

“I’m glad people are finally coming around to child-restraint systems,” the Highway Patrol officer said.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.