April 29 wreck claims second life

By Steve Huffman

Salisbury Post

A second victim of a traffic accident that happened a week ago in eastern Rowan County has died.

Gladys Tomberlin Hathcock, 82, of Stanfield, died Sunday at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, a family member said.

Her husband, Zebulon Vance Crayton, 77, died Friday at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

The accident that claimed their lives happened the afternoon of April 29 at the intersection of Old Beatty Ford and Emanuel Church roads, outside Rockwell and Gold Hill.

According to the N.C. Highway Patrol, Hathcock and her husband were rear-seat passengers in a 2004 Toyota Camry driven by Crayton's son-in-law, William Archie Vanhoy, 48, also of Stanfield.

Vanhoy's wife, Vinita, was a front-seat passenger. Both of the Vanhoys were treated at Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast.

According to the Highway Patrol, the Toyota ran a stop sign on Emanuel Church Road and struck the side of a truck driven by Matthew Wayne Propst, 36, of Agner Road, Salisbury. The truck belonged to Trexler Trucking.

Highway Patrol Trooper C.J. Doty, who investigated the accident, said Propst was not at fault. While his report would indicate that Vanhoy ran the stop sign, Doty said charges would probably not be filed.

Vanhoy told the trooper that when he last traveled the road as a child, the stop sign was aimed at traffic on Old Beatty Ford Road, instead of Emanuel Church Road. Residents of the area confirmed that that had once been the case.

Members of the family of Crayton and Hathcock said the couple's ages contributed greatly to the severity of their injuries. They said the funeral for Hathcock will be held Tuesday at Mission Baptist Church in Locust.

Contact Steve Huffman at 704-797-4222 or shuffman@salisburypost.com.