Local News - January 2004

ELHS student dies, others injured in wreck

Death marks sixth fatality since 2000

By ALICE SMITH, Staff Writer

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ALEXIS — Authorities said excessive speed was a factor in a wreck Tuesday morning that killed a Lincoln teen-ager and sent two others to area hospitals.

The three were on their way to East Lincoln High School where they were students.

Robert Allen Preslar, 15, of 2237 Little Mountain Road was pronounced dead at the scene of the wreck, Trooper M.D. Walker with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said.

Robert, a sophomore, was traveling to school with his two cousins, siblings Slade and Marcella Hicks, both of Alexis.

Slade, 18, was driving, and Marcella, 15, was sitting in the back seat of the car, Walker said. Robert was in the front passenger seat.

The three were traveling north on June Dellinger Road Tuesday morning. At about 7:02 a.m., the car ran off the right side of the road near the Old Plank Road intersection. Their vehicle struck a large tree, Walker said.

Robert was ejected through the passenger window of the 1994 Plymouth four-door sedan, Walker said.

Lincoln County EMS, East Lincoln Fire Department and East Lincoln Rescue Squad responded to the scene, where Robert was pronounced dead.

Marcella suffered head trauma and had to be flown to Carolinas Medical Center, according to John Watts with Lincoln County EMS.

Walker said Marcella was airlifted in critical but stable condition. Her injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, according to a press release from Lincoln County Schools.

Slade had no obvious injuries, Watts said. He was transported to Lincoln Medical Center for observation.

Troopers were busy reconstructing the accident scene throughout the day Tuesday.

They believe excessive speed played a part in the wreck but had not determined how fast the car was traveling.

The speed limit on June Dellinger Road is 55 mph, Walker said.

Walker said authorities also have reason to believe the three were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

The District Attorney’s office is reviewing evidence, and charges could be filed against the driver, Walker said.

Lincoln County Schools Superintendent Jim Watson extended sympathy to Robert’s family.

“It is a tragedy when any student loses their life. We are sorry to lose Robert under these circumstances,” Watson said in a press release.

Students at East Lincoln High School learned of the fatal wreck at 11:15 a.m. when an announcement was made over the intercom.

The school’s counseling center was open to all students. Around 20 students visited counselors and several went home for the day.

Losing students in automobile accidents is something those at ELHS have become tragically familiar with.

“I really believe that we’re dealing with an urban population on rural roads, and that really is a big factor in it,” East Principal Todd Black said.

“I think first and foremost kids at this age, they think they’re invincible so they drive and they don’t think about speeding. They think they have everything under control.”

Robert is the sixth East Lincoln High School student who has died in an automobile accident since 2000.

In early 2000, Kate Gaddy, 15, died when the vehicle she was riding in turned left in front of another car.

Nicole Bowman, 16, died in the summer of 2001 when her car was struck by a truck when she attempted to pull out of a convenience store parking lot.

Three weeks later, 16-year-old Travis Conrad was killed when his pick-up truck hit an embankment, went airborne and struck a utility vehicle on the side of the road.

In August of 2002, Grayson Hall, a 16-year-old transfer student, was on his way home from his first day of school at East Lincoln. His truck veered off the road, down an embankment and into two trees. Grayson was critically injured and died several days later at CMC.

And in April of 2003, freshman Brittany Morrison died after the car she was driving was struck by another vehicle.

In the school’s 2003 yearbook, Brittany’s and Robert’s pictures appear on the same page, just three lines apart.

On Tuesday, the flags outside the school flew at half-staff. Just yards away, a monument in memory of Kate, Nicole and Travis stood solemnly.

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Staff Writer Sarah Grano contributed to this article.

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