By Steve Huffman
Salisbury Post
An elderly couple injured in a Tuesday afternoon car accident in rural Rowan County remain in critical condition.
And the accident has prompted a number of reader comments on the Salisbury Post Web site, www.salisburypost.com.
Ginger Propst, the wife of Matthew Propst, driver of the truck involved in the accident, posted this:
“I am the wife of Matthew Propst, driver of the Trexler truck. My spiritual family at HRCC (High Rock Community Church), as well as my blood relations family, are keeping the Crayton and Vanhoy families in our prayers. My husband is more concerned about those injured in the accident then anything else. Matthew seems to be doing good. Just getting over the shock is going to be a small battle compared to what the others are going through. Our prayers go out to all those that are injured in accidents!”
Zebulon Vance Crayton, 77, of Stanfield, is in Carolinas Medical Center-Charlotte, while his wife, Gladys Tomberlin Hathcock, 82, is in similar condition at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, in Winston-Salem.
The accident happened at the intersection of Old Beatty Ford and Emanuel Church roads. A helicopter flew Crayton from the scene, while an ambulance took Hathcock to Rowan Regional Medical Center before she was transferred to Baptist Medical Center.
According to the N.C. Highway Patrol, Crayton and Hathcock were passengers in a car driven by Crayton’s son-in-law, William Archie Vanhoy. Investigating Trooper C.J. Doty said Vanhoy ran a stop sign and into a truck belonging to Trexler Trucking of Gold Hill.
The truck was driven by Matthew Wayne Propst, 36, of Agner Road, Salisbury.
The intersection is marked by stop signs and numerous flashing lights.
At the Post’s Web site, numerous people have commented about the collision and intersection. Here’s a sampling of messages:
– An anonymous reader wrote: “I live on Emanuel Church Road, and I know speed may not have been a factor, but I do know people fly down Old Beatty Ford Road! When I leave for work I stop by my grandparents’ place, which is right there at that intersection. When I leave, I have the hardest time pulling out there because I look left then right and left again, and there are cars flying. I really wished they would slow the speed down. This is definitely NOT the first accident there and probably WON’T be the last, but I think if they would reduce the speed and enforce it, it would make a world of difference! I’m so thankful my grandparents have a good amount of land so that the helicopter could land right there at the scene! My prayers are with both families! God has a reason for everything. God Bless You!”
– Ginger Propst, wife of the truck driver, added: “What we need is to come together and find a solution to the problem! People are getting hurt on a regular basis at that particular intersection. I would love to see either a 4-way stop with signs set up to announce the upcoming stop signs. We need to pull together and do something about the problem instead of arguing over who was at fault. My husband is going through a tough ordeal over the accident because he keeps thinking, ‘What if I were driving my personal vehicle?’ I could have easily lost my loved one in that accident. Thank God he was in an 18-wheeler. Please, try to understand the situation, and let’s fix the problem before more are injured.
– Bradley Williams wrote: “I am the grandson of Mr. Crayton. He is in ICU at CMC-main. He had massive head trauma, and the doctors have not given him any hope. His wife, Mrs. Hathcock, is at the Baptist hospital and is having surgery this morning. They did just find out that she had cancer, and they also found out yesterday while doing surgery from injuries from the accident that the cancer is also in her liver. To Mr. & Mrs. Propst: No one in the family will ever hold you or anyone else accountable for the results of this accident. We know that you did nothing wrong and were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just that ó an accident. It was all in God’s plan for this to happen. Will we ever understand why? No! But we must remember that He is still on His Heavenly throne and is in control of all of our lives. Thank you for your prayers and kind thoughts for our family in this time of need. We have also said a prayer for you and your family. God bless you both.”
Contact Steve Huffman at 704-797-4222 or shuffman@salisburypost.com.