SUV rolls off ramp, killing Goldsboro man
By Lee Williams
Published in News on December 31, 2006 2:06 AM
A Goldsboro man was killed Saturday when his sports-utility vehicle rolled off of a work ramp.
Rick Abrams, 42, of 314 Renee Drive, was apparently working on his transmission when his late-model gray Chevrolet Blazer rolled off the ramp and fell on top of him.
Members of the New Hope and El-Roy volunteer fire departments, Wayne County Emergency Medical Services and Wayne County Sheriff's Department responded to the home after receiving a call about 6:10 p.m.
"We were dispatched to a subject pinned underneath a vehicle," New Hope Volunteer Fire Department Battalion Chief Darryl Carlyle said.
Paula Atkinson, who lived next door to Abrams in the Kelliwood subdivision, said she saw Abrams working on his vehicle about 10:20 a.m. Saturday when she returned after taking her dog for a walk.
"I saw the feet sticking out and the radio going and I thought he was working on his car," Ms. Atkinson said.
Ms. Atkinson said she had no reason to think anything had gone wrong.
But as news of Abrams' death surfaced about 7 p.m. Saturday, feelings of shock and sorrow set in.
"It's horrible," she said. "He always works on cars. It's so sad. I feel so sorry for him."
Wayne County sheriff's Detective Sgt. Rick Farfour was called to investigate. Foul play was ruled out as a cause of death.
"It looks to be an accidental death," Farfour said.
The news that the tragedy was an accident did little to ease the pain of his former co-worker, Joe Young.
"I had been trying to call him all day," said Young, 54. Tears spilled from his eyes as he stared at Abrams' house. "He had a good heart."
Young said he and Abrams had been friends for eight years. They did mechanical work at Thompson Pump and Wellpoint Systems on U.S. 13. and had gotten off work at 1:30 a.m. Saturday. It was too much to fathom that his friend had been taken from him a few hours later.
"It's going to be a hard one to get over," Young said.
Abrams leaves a wife and two children.