Ernul, NC : One person dead in wreck off U.S. 17 on Tuesday, April 26, 2016

A man who was driving an Ihrie Supply box truck that ran off U.S. 17 at the Little Swift Creek bridge between Ernul and Bridgeton died Tuesday.

The man’s identity was not immediately available.

The wreck occurred around 1:45 p.m. The truck appeared to be headed south on the busy two-lane highway when it ran off the road and down an embankment before resting against a tree.

Leading up to the truck, there were tire tracks in the mud on the right side of the road and then black tire streaks across the road to where the truck slid off and hit the tree on the left side of the road.
A helicopter from EastCare was summoned, but called off. A large tow truck was brought in to stabilize the wrecked truck and pull it back on to the highway.

U.S. 17 was closed around the wreck for roughly 2 1/2 hours to allow emergency crews to work.
The N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper M. Eure said the driver was the lone person in the truck.
“After running off the road there, he overcorrected and ran off to the left, hitting an oak tree,” Eure said.

Eure said that because the driver was young, it is believed he died as a result of the crash and not a medical condition, though a medical examiner would determine the cause of death.
“We don’t have any reason as of now to suspect that alcohol or anything like that was involved either,” Eure said.

He said that the truck was loaded with supplies. Ihrie Supply is a distributer of plumbing, heating, cooling and other industrial supplies, according to its website, with locations in New Bern, Morehead City and Rocky Mount, among other cities.

The N.C. Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation.

Source :
Updated: One dead in Tuesday wreck off U.S. 17