By Steve Huffman
shuffman@salisburypost.com
ENOCHVILLE ó The driver of an SUV that failed to negotiate a curve while traveling at a high rate of speed was killed Friday evening after the vehicle ran off the road and overturned several times.
Kevin Hall, 18, was thrown from the 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe when it ran off the road and leveled several mailboxes before coming to rest in weeds.
The accident happened about 6:15 p.m. in the 8200 block of Smith Road, about a mile west of North Enochville Avenue. The curvy road leads to Enochville School Road.
“It looks like he was traveling too fast for the road,” said Trooper D.H. Deal of the N.C. Highway Patrol. “Speed was definitely a factor.”
He said Hall was apparently not wearing a seat belt.
Witnesses said the Tahoe had sped west on the road about an hour before the accident. It was returning east at the time of the wreck.
“They barely made it through the first time,” said Chris Greene, a resident of Smith Road. He saw the Tahoe as it headed out and was one of the first on the scene after the crash.
He estimated the Tahoe was traveling about 80 or 90 miles per hour just before the crash. The speed limit along the road is 45 mph.
Daryl Aistrop witnessed the crash and agreed with Greene’s estimate of the Tahoe’s speed. He said Hall died almost instantly.
Aistrop said vehicles are constantly speeding through the area, with crashes common occurrences.
“This is wreck central,” he said.
Aaron Graham, 22, was a passenger in the Tahoe. He was in fair condition Friday night at NorthEast Medical Center. Both Graham and Hall lived on Sam Broadway Loop, about a half-mile from the accident scene.