I'm reading all of this the way you are. I'm guessing sloppy reporting?
We need to see where Traffic Collision came from. Hopefully the reporter reported what was reported from 911 services or HP...wherever it came from.
It seems it's being reported a lot of different ways:
From News 14:
Someone called 911 on Thursday morning to report a wreck near the same location, but emergency officials couldn't locate a crashed car, North Carolina Highway Patrol Lt. Everett Clendenin said.
CBS News:
North Carolina highway patrol said a 911 call was made near the time and
location of the crash site but authorities failed to find any evidence of a crash, reports CBS News correspondent Meg Oliver.
From New York Daily:
A Nash County dispatcher in North Carolina took a 911 call Thursday morning reporting a car crash. Fire and rescue personnel came, but no one found the vehicle.
A highway worker doing repairs on a nearby bridge yesterday saw luggage floating, then spotted the outline of the car in the creek about 3:30 p.m., according to the North Carolina Highway Patrol.