Connelly Springs, NC : A 70-year-old Morganton man was killed on Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Connellys Springs, North Carolina
A 70-year-old Morganton man was killed Tuesday after driving into the back of a beer van on Interstate 40.
Claude Alvin Thompson Jr. was traveling eastbound near mile marker 115 around 12:55 p.m. when witnesses say he drifted off the right side of the road, hit the guardrail and crashed into a van in the emergency lane, said Trooper D.R. Lane with the N.C. Highway Patrol.
Thompson, who was driving a 2008 Cadillac Escalade, was pronounced dead around 1:30 p.m. while being transported to the CHS Blue Ridge Valdese Hospital, Lane said. Thompson was driving about 70 mph and was not wearing a seatbelt, he said.
Michael Richard McGowan, 34, of Asheville, said he parked the van, which belongs to Burial Beer Company, in the emergency lane after running out of gas. The van was totaled, and McGowan was transported to CHS Valdese with minor injuries, Lane said.
The Cadillac crossed back across the interstate after impact and came to rest against the median guardrail, and the van was pushed forward about 600 feet in the emergency lane, Lane said. Both drivers were travelling alone, and no other injuries were reported.
Lane said Thompson was travelling east to pick up his longtime girlfriend Janis Sumlin. Sumlin was notified of his death and told officers that they owned an antique business in Conover together.
Sumlin also told officers that Thompson had medical problems, including diabetes, Lane said. Because Thompson made no corrective action after crossing the rumble strips and hitting the guardrail, Lane said it is possible that he had a medical emergency in the car that led to the wreck.
Burke County EMS, Lovelady Fire Department and Burke County REACT also responded to the wreck, which backed up traffic for about 2 miles. Two additional wrecks happened in traffic behind mile marker 115, Lane said.
Lane said the only other damage aside from the totaled cars was a single section of guardrail, which will cost $1,500 to replace.
Source :
Morganton man killed in I-40 wreck