SALISBURY — The husband of a young mother who lost her life to cancer two months ago died Tuesday morning after his motorcycle struck a culvert and threw him from the bike.
Daniel Wyrick, father of two and husband to the late Cheryl Wyrick, died shortly after arriving at a Winston Salem hospital about 2:15 a.m. He was 28.
North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper A.J. Carpenter said Wyrick was traveling north on Wildwood Drive near Old Union Church Road when the bike slammed into an embankment a little after 10 p.m.
“He ran off the right side of the road in a curve,” Carpenter said. “The bike overturned, that in turn ejected him from the motorcycle.”
Carpenter said alcohol was detected on Wyrick at the scene. A blood alcohol test from the coroner’s office registered a .17 blood alcohol level, twice the legal limit.
“He was definitely impaired,” Carpenter said. “He succumbed to his injuries.”
Wyrick was taken to Novant Health Rowan Medical Center and later transferred to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center where he died.
The Wyricks gained local support this spring after Cheryl told family members she wished she could take a final family vacation with Daniel and the children. They organized a yard sale and community members turned out in full force, raising more than $20,000 to send the young family to Orlando, Fla., for a Disney adventure.
Cheryl died just weeks later of a rare, aggressive stomach cancer.
Relatives said a significant portion of the raised monies were put into trust funds for the two children prior to Cheryl’s death.
Daniel Wyrick’s sister, Crystal Casper, has cared for the couple’s sons, ages 6 and 2, since Cheryl’s death.
The news of her brother’s death, she said, was like a “bad dream.”
“It’s a little overwhelming,” Casper said. “I just wanted to say, ‘Are you kidding me?’ when I was told this is happening. I just couldn’t — I just can’t grasp reality.”
Casper said she and her brother grew closer in the weeks before Cheryl’s death.
“He was really good with the boys,” she said. “They loved their daddy so much. When he wasn’t working, they would latch onto him.”
But Wyrick struggled after Cheryl’s death, she said.
“He was bad about expressing his emotions,” she said. “He was having a hard time dealing with Cheryl passing.”
The nightmare continued for Casper as she called a bereavement counselor for guidance. The counselor had assisted the family in recent months, she said.
“I asked, ‘How do you tell a 6-year-old that just lost his mother two-and-a-half months ago that his father is now with his mommy in Heaven?” Casper said. “She told me to basically be honest with him.”
So Casper was, while also assuring him of the love and support he’ll have from the Caspers.
“I made Aiden that promise before Cheryl passed,” she said. “I made her that promise. I made him that promise — and I’m going to keep it. Whatever happens I’m going to keep it.”