Man dies in crash early Saturday morning
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on March 20, 2011 1:50 AM
A Goldsboro man died early Saturday morning after the driver of the car he was riding in -- who was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the wreck -- lost control of the vehicle and hit a utility pole.
Stephen Anton Garrett, 26, was declared dead at the scene of the crash, the Country Hearth Inn & Suites parking lot, located at 708 Corporate Drive, and the driver, Raheem Jamar Langley, was later charged with DUI and reckless driving.
It was just after midnight when officers responded to a report of an overturned vehicle in the parking lot of Country Hearth Inn & Suites.
When they arrived at the scene, the vehicle was lying on its right side -- and Garrett was trapped.
But shortly after emergency personnel arrived, the man was declared dead and after investigating what had occurred, police had determined Langley, a 21-year-old from Goldsboro, was intoxicated when he accelerated out of a parking space at a high rate of speed, hit a curb and then the pole.
So after he was treated for injuries sustained in the crash and released from Wayne Memorial Hospital, Langley was charged and placed in Wayne County jail under a $6,000 secured bond.
No additional details about the case were available by press time and it is unclear whether Langley will be charged in connection with his passenger's death.
Saturday's incident marked the second fatal crash to unfold in Wayne County last week.
On Thursday, shortly before noon, Christopher George Price, 38, of Mary Lane, was traveling north on Friendly Drive when he wrecked his motorcycle.
According to the state Highway Patrol report, Price was traveling at a high rate of speed coming out of a curve when he ran off the right side of the road, struck a ditch, overturned his motorcycle and was ejected. The motorcycle then continued to slide, striking a ditch culvert before coming to rest in a field on the right side of the road.
According to the report, Price, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital where he later died.