THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, December 20, 1994 TAG: 9412200301
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
A Pasquotank County man was clinging to life Monday after a weekend traffic accident that killed three adults and two children.
Henry Mathews White, 26, of Mount Hermon Church Road, was listed in serious condition in the burn/trauma unit at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Monday. The extent of his injuries had not been determined, a hospital spokeswoman said.
White was injured Saturday after his westbound 1986 Chevy pickup truck collided with a 1990 Pontiac passenger car that had spun out of control while traveling eastbound on Simpson Ditch Road, said 1st Sgt. D.G. Dail of the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
``We know it was high speed, and a high possibility it was alcohol-related,'' Dail said, explaining why the Pontiac lost control. ``There were numerous beer cans.''
Dail said officials are awaiting an autopsy report to conclusively determine if alcohol was involved in the accident.
All five passengers in the Pontiac died at the scene, Dail said.
Killed were the driver, Ronnie Eugene Farmer, 27, of Edenton; his daughter, Andreka Farmer, 8, and son, Ronnie Eugene Farmer Jr., 4, both of Plymouth; William Henry Sutton Jr., 45, of Hertford; and Rey Yamil Camacho Llandes, 31, of Hertford.
The Pontiac's driver was wearing a seatbelt, Dail said, but none of the passengers was. Officials could not determine if White wore a seatbelt.
The Pontiac was traveling eastbound around 1:50 p.m. Saturday when it spun broadside across the center line, Dail said. There, it collided with White's truck, which was towing a 1971 Chevy pickup being steered by his brother.
The car and first truck crashed into a ditch and White's pickup caught fire. The 1971 Chevy being towed came to rest in the road, Dail said.
White's brother, William Eric White, 30, and a witness worked to pull Henry White from the truck as it burned. William White was treated at Albemarle Hospital for minor injuries and released, Dail said.
Officials were at the scene for more than three hours clearing the wreckage, Dail said. No charges will be filed, he said.
The accident, which Dail said was the deadliest area wreck in at least a quarter-century, occurred just two weeks after the state closed its ``Booze It & Lose It'' campaign to raise awareness about driving while intoxicated.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC INJURIES by CNB