WILKESBORO, N.C. (WGHP) -- One driver is dead, and another faces life-threatening injuries after a head-on crash in Wilkes County on Friday, according to a North Carolina State Highway Patrol news release. Around 12:40 p.m., troopers responded to and investigated a fatal crash in Wilkes County on NC 16 near Knollwood Drive.  A 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee going south on NC 16 crossed the center line and crashed head-on with a northbound 2023 Ford Explorer. The driver of the Jeep, Richard Wayne Earp, 71, of Taylorsville, died at the scene.  The driver of the Ford was taken by EMS to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. The initial investigation indicates speed and impairment were not contributing factors in the crash. NC 16 was closed in the area for approximately two hours during the on-scene investigation.