Man awakens to nightmare

Ride to work ends in tragedy as one dies, another seriously injured in single-car, rollover accident

Lance Martin Herald Senior Staff Writer

ROANOKE RAPIDS - Riding in the back seat, David Allen was grabbing a quick nap when he was awakened by the squealing of tires and a sensation of tumbling as the vehicle rolled over. His eyes opened to a grisly scene - one friend dying and another laying sprawled halfway out of the crumpled car.

Despite his current physical pain and mental anguish, Allen knows he is the lucky one.

He survived. He credits the seat belt he wore with saving him from serious injury or possibly death.

Allen, a welder, and his two companions were headed to work when the single-vehicle accident occurred Thursday on Joe Pope Road outside Halifax. It claimed the life of Tyler Blake Duncan, 28, and caused serious injuries to Kevin Shearin, 30.

“I was wearing my seat belt. I had my lunch bucket beside me with some clothes and took a nap,” he said. “I just dozed off when I woke to the sound of tires skidding. We were in a tumble. We landed upside down.”

Allen crawled through the back seat window and found Duncan, a pipefitter, beside the car. Shearin was partially out of the vehicle, with his calves still inside, Allen said.

As they have for the past three months, the three were headed to Greenville for a construction project there, taking N.C. Highway 125 and from there heading to Pitt County.

The three took turns driving every three days, and Thursday was Duncan's turn to make the 80-mile trip. “We got up so many mornings. It was just an everyday thing. You don't think about it,” Allen said.

On Thursday, the trip turned into a nightmare. The state Highway Patrol believes heavy fog may have played a part. The investigating trooper believes Duncan may not have seen a stop sign in time. There is evidence he realized he ran the stop sign and hit the brakes of his Toyota Echo, striking a trash can and then overcorrecting before the vehicle struck a ditch embankment and overturned.

“I was thinking it may have been a deer that pulled out,” Allen said. “After it was over, I was going to say, ‘Man, that was close.' I had no idea that it would turn into a flipping car. We went over three times.”

The accident left Allen with several bruised ribs and muscles around his side. He fractured two bones in his back, on the side of the spine, which doctors at Wake Med in Raleigh - where he and Shearin were taken - say will heal by themselves.

While the initial report was that none of the occupants were wearing seat belts, Allen said when he was visited by a trooper at the hospital he explained to the officer he was wearing one.

Most of the injuries he sustained, Allen said, were the result of the seat belt catching him. He has visible seat belt marks across his side. Wearing the safety harness is a longtime habit for Allen.

“I like to think it's an important thing to do,” he said. “It's like riding a roller coaster. If they don't put that bar around you, you're going to get thrown out.”

Allen says although he always buckled up, he never pushed others to wear their belts. Now that may change and Allen wouldn't mind being a spokesperson for seat belt use.

“I will continue to buckle up. If I didn't buckle up I would either be in the hospital or be dead right now ... I wouldn't mind being a public speaker to get people to buckle up,” he said. “One person is dead and one doesn't remember the wreck.”

Now Allen is trying to recuperate from the physical and mental injuries, and seeing his family at the hospital helped him. “I was just so thankful I was still here. It was the most life-threatening situation I've been in.”

He was undecided about attending Duncan's funeral, which was Saturday. “I'm not sure I can handle it.”

He also believes going back to work will be traumatic. “I'm thinking about taking the interstate to avoid it (the accident site). It will only be two of us if my other buddy goes back to work.”