A former Albemarle High School principal was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Greensboro.

The Highway Patrol responded shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday to a crash on Interstate 73 North.

Douglas Eddie Kilgore, 47, of Greensboro was traveling south in the northbound lanes of I-73, the Highway Patrol reports. Driving a 2019 GMC Acadia SUV, Kilgore traveled off the roadway to the right, became airborne and landed onto the southbound lanes of Interstate 85 Business, Master Trooper Brandon Baker revealed in a report.

Kilgore’s vehicle then struck a concrete median and overturned onto the northbound lanes of I-85 Business before coming to rest on its top on the northbound shoulder of I-85. He was ejected and died from the collision, Baker said.

“At this time, failure to wear a seatbelt, speeding and driving the wrong direction significantly impacted this crash,” Baker said in the report.

Stanly Academy Assistant Principal William Benson spoke highly of Kilgore, as he was hired to be Kilgore’s assistant at Albemarle High School. It was Benson’s first time as an assistant principal.

“He was a really giving, open-hearted man,” Benson said. “He was just a genuine person.It’s really heartbreaking.”

Benson said Kilgore “was student driven. He was all about Albemarle High School while he was there.”

“It’s because of him — I just got a great experience and was able to grow as a school administrator,” Benson added.