Virginia Man Charged With DWI After Jeep Crosses Center Line, Hits Bus on Duck Road
No one was hurt when a Jeep crossed the center line and struck an empty Outer Banks Adventures bus on Duck Road Wednesday night.
This audio narration was generated by Camden Tribune using the open-source Kokoro speech model.
DUCK, N.C. — A Virginia man was charged with driving while impaired after the Jeep he was driving crossed the center line and struck a bus on Duck Road on Wednesday night, the Town of Duck said.
No one was hurt. The Outer Banks Adventures bus was not carrying passengers, according to a town news release.
At a glance
- Who: Dean Ertzner, 62, of Chesterfield, Virginia, driver of a Jeep Wrangler
- What: Two-vehicle crash; charged with driving while impaired and driving left of center
- When: About 8:44 p.m. Wednesday, October 21, 2026
- Where: 1300 block of Duck Road (N.C. 12), near Village Table and Tavern
- Injuries: None reported
What happened
The Duck Fire Department, Duck Police Department and Dare County Emergency Medical Services responded to the crash. Investigators determined the northbound Jeep crossed the center line and struck the southbound bus at an angle, the release said.
Ertzner was arrested and taken to the Dare County Detention Center under a $5,000 secured bond, according to the town.
Road closed about an hour
Both vehicles were too damaged to drive and were towed from the scene. Duck Road was closed for about an hour, with traffic diverted onto the town's multi-use path.
Town officials said no further investigation is pending.
A criminal charge is an accusation, not a finding of guilt.
Reporting note: This story is based on an October 22, 2026, news release from the Town of Duck. Contact: Kay Nickens, public information and events director, 252-254-5955.
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