Staff report

Traffic came to a standstill and one man was airlifted to the hospital after a wreck on U.S. 52 late Thursday afternoon.

According to Trooper R.T. Coward of the State Highway Patrol, John Ervin Moore, 74, of Gold Hill was traveling north on N.C. 52 when his black Toyota van ran off the road in the 7700 block near Rockwell.

The van struck a small stone wall and overturned at least twice before coming to rest in the northbound lane.

Ervin was the van’s only occupant at the time of the crash. According to Coward, he was not wearing his seat belt and is believed to have been suffering from medical problems at the time of the crash. Ervin was airlifted to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital. His condition was unknown.