Weekend Wreck Round Up

ASHEBORO — Emergency crews responded to several vehicle crashes in Asheboro over the weekend, including a crash where a police officer jumped into a creek to save a trapped passenger. Meanwhile, traffic delays plagued I-73/74 following multiple wrecks, though no serious injuries were reported.

Officer Jumps in Creek to Help Trapped Passenger

A Facebook post from the Asheboro Police Department with photos of a vehicle being pulled out of a creek and the story of the officer who jumped in to the water to help has been making the rounds on social media.

At approximately 11 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16, emergency crews responded to a single-vehicle crash in front of the C Store on E. Salisbury Street in Asheboro. The vehicle had gone off the road, fallen down an embankment, and landed upside down in a creek.

In a Facebook post, the Asheboro Police Department said Officer S. Witsaman “entered the creek to help an injured passenger trapped inside the vehicle, in higher-than-normal running water. Over a quarter inch of rain had fallen during the day, most of it in a one-hour span, that morning, resulting in excessive storm drain off waters in the creek. The driver managed to escape the vehicle on their own, while first responders assisted in freeing the passenger. Officer Witsaman has been with the department since 2022, and was promoted to Police Officer I, in 2023.

Both individuals were evaluated by EMS for minor injuries and taken to Randolph Hospital for treatment. According to an Asheboro Police Department crash report, the vehicle had been in the parking lot of Kyleco’s, located across the street. The driver “failed to stay on the right of way while crossing the street,” causing the vehicle to go down the embankment, resulting in the car flipping over. The driver later told police the vehicle had a steering issue.
 

Another Wreck causes delays on 73/74 Friday

On Friday Feb 14, just before 5 p.m., the North Carolina Department of Transportation reported a vehicle crash causing delays on I-73/74 near Sunset Ave. According to a traffic alert from DriveNC.gov, the crash caused significant delays for over three hours. 

The North Carolina Highway Patrol responded to investigate the crash. As of Wednesday Feb 19, the Highway Patrol had not responded to requests for information. According to officials, no one was seriously injured in the crash.

The crash comes just two days after two previous crashes less than a mile north on Wednesday, Feb. 12, temporarily shut down the interstate and caused significant traffic disruptions during the morning commute.  According to a crash report from the Asheboro Police Department, the first crash, at around 9 a.m., occurred when a large truck was merging and sideswiped a car, causing it, lose control and spin around ending up facing south in the northbound lanes. The larger truck did not stop and left the scene of the accident.

The second crash occurred a short time later when, according to a crash report, the driver of a tanker truck carrying milk ran off the side of the road. The driver told police they had not realized that traffic ahead had slowed and that they had run off the road to avoid a collision.

There were no reported injuries in either crash.