By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — A Salisbury woman died on her 38th birthday when she was thrown from the vehicle she was driving on Stokes Ferry Road.
Charlotte Anne Strube Lambert, of 985 Shore Acres Road, was driving home to High Rock Lake from her job at Aldi’s distribution center when the accident occurred, said her father, Danny Ray Strube of Concord.
Lambert’s 2005 GMC sports utility vehicle drove off the right side of the road at 2:55 a.m. Saturday, traveling southeast on Stokes Ferry Road, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol.
Lambert, who was traveling alone, struck a culvert with the car and lost control, the report said. The vehicle overturned and Lambert, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected, the Highway Patrol said.
She was transfered to Rowan Regional Medical Center by the Rowan County Rescue Squad but died from her injuries.
Strube said his daughter loved boating and fishing on High Rock Lake and rode her Harley Davidson motorcycle all over the state, from the beach to the mountains.
Lambert enjoyed sharing water sports and motorcycle riding with her children, Justin Lambert, 20, and Ashley Cheyenne Eddleman, 18, Strube said.
“She had a very outgoing personality and was a pleasure to be around,” he said.
Lambert had worked for Aldi for several years. In addition to her children and father, she is survived by her mother, Cathy Anne Strube of Concord, and her sister, Shelby Rose Furr of Concord, as well as other family members.
The Highway Patrol estimates Lambert’s vehicle was traveling 65 mph, faster than the 50 mph speed limit.
Investigators led by Trooper R.T. Coward suspect alcohol was a factor in the wreck, First Sgt. B.E. Hower said.
Rowan County has seen a rash of accidents where people were killed or critically injured when ejected from vehicles because they were not wearing seat belts.
• On Dec. 10, a South Iredell High School student died when she was thrown from a vehicle that rolled and hit a utility pole along N.C. 150.
Trooper D.R. Morgan of the N.C. Highway Patrol identified the victim as Brittany Newton, 17, of 435 Fern Hill Road, Troutman.
Newton was thrown roughly 100 feet from the front passenger seat of a 2001 Chevrolet Blazer driven by her friend, Kember Faith Turner, 17, of 1025 Airport Road.
• Edward Myers, 39, was killed Dec. 15 when he wrecked his Toyota coupe in the front yard of his parents’ home at 2050 Mountain Road.
He apparently hit a tree in the yard and was thrown from the car. No other vehicles were involved.
• Emily Rose Elliott, 7, was still listed in critical condition Wednesday after she and her mother, Teasha Wall, were ejected from the vehicle Wall was driving Jan. 3 on Old Concord Road near China Grove.
Troopers said Wall ran off the right side of the road and over-corrected, rolling the vehicle several times.
Neither Wall nor Emily were wearing their seatbelts.
“We are currently trying to really remind people to wear their seat belts, especially since we have had fatalities,” said Hower of the Highway Patrol.
Authorities issued more seat-belt citations in 2011 than 2010, he said.
“The enforcement side is up, but maybe people are just not getting the message,” Hower said. “For some reason, it’s not sinking in.”
The Highway Patrol again will increase efforts to get people to buckle up, he said.
“It’s a conscious choice,” he said.
Buckling up is one of the most important things people can do to survive a car crash, Hower said.
“Statistics bear it out time and time again,” he said. “If a person wears a seat belt, they have a far greater chance of surviving than if they are not wearing one.”
Seat belts restrain people in a vehicle, preventing them from being ejected if the car rolls over or collides with something, he said.
Victims ejected from vehicles can die or suffer critical injuries on impact or from the car rolling over on top of them, Hower said.
“It’s a bad situation for a human body to be flying around when you have that type of accident,” he said.
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.