THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 2, 1994 TAG: 9409020580
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
Five people were injured, one critically, on Thursday when a pickup truck collided with a day care van carrying two children on RU.S, oute 17 South.
Pattie M. White, 24, of Hertford, was taken from the scene by Nightingale air ambulance to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, paramedics said. She was listed in critical condition with head and neck injuries.
White, assistant director of the Loving With Learning Day Care on Route 17 South, was driving the center's 1985 Dodge van out of the nearby Albemarle Academy just after school was dismissed about 3 p.m. when the accident occurred.
Witnesses said the van was struck by a blue 1988 Chevrolet pickup traveling south on the divided highway as the van was turning left into the northbound lanes.
The van's two child passengers, 6-year-old Jennifer Fitch and 5-year-old Robert Fitch of Elizabeth City, were treated at Albemarle Hospital and released. The pickup's driver, Jack H. Duffee, 35, of Hertford, and passenger, Trevor G. Allen, 14, of Hertford, also were treated for minor injuries at the scene and taken to Albemarle Hospital, paramedics said.
The left front of the van was crushed and the hood of the pickup was folded
``It was a hell of a hit, I'll tell you that,'' said Bill Gregory, a local farmer and volunteer firefighter who had been visiting Albemarle Academy and helped direct traffic on the scene.
Skid marks extended several feet before the impact point. State trooper E.D. Johnson, who is investigating the incident, said there was no evidence at the scene that the truck was speeding.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC INJURIES by CNB