Wrecks keep rescue crews on their toes

It was a busy weekend and start of the week for local emergency and rescue personnel as there were several bad accidents on Caldwell County highways. Even though every call can be daunting for one reason or another, crews faced more than the customary obstacles.

On Monday it was the heat. Sunday, it was attacking insects.

Luckily, no one was injured in a one-vehicle accident on Southwest Boulevard in Lenoir Monday morning, but the heat made it a little more difficult for everyone to do their jobs to the best of their ability. Investigating officer Marcus T. Hartley was continually wiping his face with his sleeve to keep the sweat from running into his eyes, while firefighters were busy keeping everyone hydrated with cold bottled water.

"It's very hot, especially with dark uniforms, vests and the heavy equipment we wear," Hartley said. "When you're on asphalt, the heat multiplies."

He added that it's important to drink plenty of fluids and keep a close eye on co-workers while making a living outdoors in the heat. It's also important not to overexert yourself during the "dog days of summer."

The crash involved the driver, Lisa Ann Moore of Hudson, traveling in the right lane of four-lane Southwest Boulevard when she dropped something onto the floorboard. According to the accident report, she leaned down to retrieve it and went off the right side of the road. She overcorrected, crossed both lanes of traffic into the median, then shot back across the road before flipping the vehicle over. Along with the driver there were two other passengers, one adult and an infant.

A witness to the accident stopped and helped look after the child while emergency crews tended to the crash victims, who suffered only minor cuts and scrapes, Hartley said.

Firefighters took to the boy as well, offering him cold water in a sippy cut while he clutched a fuzzy teddy bear.

Everyone in the vehicle was properly restrained at the time of the crash and no charges will be filed, Hartley said.

Morningside Drive

Usually it's not the rescue personnel who get injured at a crash site, but this was no ordinary site.

Several emergency personnel and bystanders were stung by bees Sunday night as Grace Chapel Fire Department and Lovelady Rescue helped 65-year-old Pat Nichols of Lowell, N.C. get free of a vehicle she had crashed on Morningside Drive in the Grace Chapel area. The vehicle had rolled over into a wooded area and first responders had to battle a large swarm of bees, which obviously had been disturbed by all of the activity, according to the rescue report.

"Several emergency workers and bystanders were stung," the report read. "All personnel were fine, except for bee sting soreness."

The crash victim escaped with minor injuries, and somehow avoided being stung during the commotion.

Also responding to the crash were Caldwell EMS and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

Hickory Boulevard

Three were injured Sunday morning, one airlifted to Charlotte, in a crash on Hickory Boulevard in Granite Falls.

According to an Office of Emergency Services news release, the two-vehicle crash occurred near York Road at approximately 9:20 a.m. One vehicle was struck in the rear by another, sending the driver, 55-year-old Janice Threlkeld of Morganton to Frye Regional Hospital with neck and shoulder injuries, and entrapping 48-year-old passenger Kelly Maria of Morganton in the vehicle. Lovelady Rescue was able to extricate Maria, who was taken via helicopter to Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) in Charlotte with serious head injuries. Maria has since been discharged from CMC.

Amber Wilson of Lenoir was the driver of the second car and was transported to Frye with a wrist injury, according to the report.

Granite Falls Fire Department, Caldwell EMS and Lovelady Rescue responded to the accident.

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