Key Points
- A 44-year-old Camp Hill man, Marcus Edwards, died in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 280 in Lee County, Alabama, near Auburn.
- The collision occurred late on Saturday, 14 February, when a 2013 Dodge Durango left the roadway and struck a ditch before hitting the rear of a 2020 Volvo tractor-trailer.
- After impact with the tractor-trailer, the Dodge Durango caught fire and became fully engulfed in flames at the scene.
- Edwards, the sole occupant of the Durango, was pronounced dead at the scene at around 10:18 p.m. Central Standard Time.
- The crash site was on U.S. Highway 280 West near Loblockee Creek, approximately eight miles west of downtown Auburn in northwest Lee County.
- No injuries were reported to the driver of the tractor-trailer or any other individuals.
- The Lee County Coroner’s Office plans to transport Edwards’ body to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery for a post-mortem examination.
- Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division are continuing to investigate the cause and circumstances of the crash.
LEE COUNTY, Ala. (King County Insider) February 15, 2026 – A late-night crash on U.S. Highway 280 in northwest Lee County has left 44-year-old Camp Hill resident Marcus Edwards dead after the Dodge Durango he was driving struck the rear of a tractor-trailer and burst into flames near Auburn, according to state and county officials.
How did the fatal crash near Auburn happen on U.S. Highway 280?
As reported by CNAW 2 News’ staff in its Lee County crash coverage, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) investigators said a 2013 Dodge Durango travelling along U.S. Highway 280 West left the roadway during the late evening hours of Saturday, 14 February. According to ALEA’s preliminary account cited by CNAW 2 News, the Durango first struck a roadside ditch before colliding with the rear-end of a 2020 Volvo tractor-trailer travelling on the highway.
CNAW 2 News detailed that the sequence of events unfolded in northwest Lee County near Loblockee Creek, along a stretch of Highway 280 that is about eight miles from downtown Auburn. The impact with the rear of the tractor-trailer caused the Durango to catch fire and become engulfed in flames, effectively trapping the driver inside the burning vehicle. A brief note carried by Nexstar Media’s regional Alabama report, shared via Yahoo News under the headline “Alabama man killed in fiery Highway 280 crash,” similarly stated that the crash occurred around 10:08 p.m. on Saturday and that Edwards died at the scene on that section of Highway 280 west of Auburn.
Who was the victim and what have authorities confirmed about his death?
As reported by the CNAW 2 News article “Camp Hill man dies in Lee County highway crash Saturday night,” Lee County Coroner Daniel Sexton identified the victim as Marcus Edwards, 44, of Camp Hill. Sexton told CNAW 2 News that Edwards was the sole occupant of the Dodge Durango at the time of the collision. According to the coroner’s statement cited in the same report, Edwards was pronounced dead at 10:18 p.m. Central Standard Time at the scene of the crash on Highway 280.
The short Nexstar Media summary, reproduced by Yahoo News, also confirmed that Edwards, described there as a 44-year-old Alabama man, died at the scene of the fiery crash on Highway 280 about eight miles west of Auburn. CNAW 2 News noted that no injuries were reported among occupants of the 2020 Volvo tractor-trailer involved in the collision, underscoring that Edwards was the only person killed in the incident.
What did officials say about the vehicle fire and emergency response?
In its detailed account, CNAW 2 News quoted information from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency indicating that, after striking the ditch and the tractor-trailer’s rear, the Dodge Durango “caught on fire and became engulfed in flames.” Although CNAW 2 News did not name the individual trooper providing the summary, the outlet attributed the description of the blaze and crash sequence directly to ALEA’s formal communication on the incident.
The CNAW 2 News report stated that Edwards was pronounced dead at the scene, implying that, despite the response from emergency services, he could not be saved from the effects of the crash and subsequent fire. The Nexstar/Yahoo brief likewise described the incident as a fiery crash, emphasising that the vehicle fire was a central element of the fatal outcome, and confirmed that death occurred on site rather than at a later time in hospital.
Where exactly did the crash occur and what is known about the location?
According to the CNAW 2 News story, the crash took place on U.S. Highway 280 West near Loblockee Creek in northwest Lee County. The article specified that the site is about eight miles from downtown Auburn, placing the collision on a busy regional corridor used by drivers moving between Auburn, Opelika and communities to the west.
The Nexstar Media report echoed that the crash occurred “about eight miles west of Auburn” on Highway 280, a description that aligns with the location details given by CNAW 2 News. Together, the reports situate the fatal crash in a semi-rural section of Lee County, where higher-speed traffic, limited lighting and changes in road alignment can combine to increase the risk of serious collisions during night-time hours, particularly around water crossings such as Loblockee Creek.
What steps are being taken in the investigation and post-mortem process?
As reported by CNAW 2 News, Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Highway Patrol Division are continuing to investigate the crash, including the factors that led the Dodge Durango to leave the roadway and strike both the ditch and the rear of the tractor-trailer. The same report stressed that the investigation “remains ongoing,” indicating that ALEA has not yet released a full causal assessment or any conclusions about contributing circumstances such as speed, impairment, mechanical failure or road conditions.
CNAW 2 News further quoted Lee County Coroner Daniel Sexton as saying that Edwards’ body will be transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences facility in Montgomery for a post-mortem examination. That autopsy is expected to provide official confirmation of the precise cause of death and may supply additional information relevant to ALEA’s investigation into the crash and subsequent vehicle fire on Highway 280.
How have local and regional outlets framed the fatal Highway 280 crash?
CNAW 2 News framed the incident under the headline “Camp Hill man dies in Lee County highway crash Saturday night,” focusing on Edwards’ local ties to Camp Hill and the late-evening timing of the collision on U.S. Highway 280 West. In its coverage, the outlet relied heavily on formal statements from ALEA and from Lee County Coroner Daniel Sexton, making clear that the reconstruction of events – from the Durango leaving the roadway to the fiery impact with the tractor-trailer – is drawn directly from those authorities.
The Nexstar Media summary, circulated via Yahoo News under the heading “Alabama man killed in fiery Highway 280 crash,” presented a concise account that highlighted the location, timing and confirmation that Edwards died at the scene, but did not add further narrative beyond what had been attributed to state authorities. Both reports adopted a neutral tone, refraining from speculation about the cause of the crash while underlining that ALEA’s Highway Patrol Division continues to investigate, a framing consistent with standard practice in early-stage reporting on fatal traffic collisions.
