Man dies by floodwaters
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on October 12, 2016 9:57 AM
A 54-year-old man died in his truck after being carried away by floodwaters on Wayne Memorial Drive on Saturday night during Hurricane Matthew.
The man was identified by police as Lemuel Frank Kornegay of Dudley. Kornegay is the first known fatality directly related to the storm.
Goldsboro police officers found the man's body Tuesday evening after workers cleaning water damage at Kitty Askins Hospice Center found the man's body in his truck in the woods behind the building.
Specialized Traffic Enforcement Unit officer Jay Holland said the man was driving on Wayne Memorial Drive around 7 p.m. Saturday night during the storm, and was followed by another car.
Holland said the man's vehicle stalled out in deep waters near the intersection of Wayne Memorial Drive and Country Day Road, and so did the vehicle that was following him.
Both vehicles were swept off the road by the water, coming to rest roughly 300 feet off the road in the woods behind Kitty Askins Hospice Center.
"One of the things I really want to stress is to never drive through standing or running water," Holland said. "You don't know what the current of the water is, or if the roadway will give away."
Holland said warning the public of the consequences of driving through deep water is imperative, as the Neuse River is expected to crest at more than 30 feet Wednesday.
The driver of the second vehicle was able to escape death or injury after their car was swept off the road.
Holland said the driver returned to retrieve their belongings after both cars were swept off the road, but did not see the driver of the other vehicle's body inside the car.
"They came back a few days later and retrieved their belongings," Holland said. "They saw the truck submerged but did not know someone was inside."
Officials have said two other people perished during the storm and pursuant flood, but both died from natural causes.