Van driver in critical but stable condition after striking tree 

Van driver in critical but stable condition after striking tree

Nov 06, 2012 (Menafn - The Mount Airy News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --A single car accident in the Flat Rock community involving a 1995 Dodge minivan has left a driver in critical but stable condition, according to North Carolina State Trooper James Selba.

According to Selba, the emergency call for the accident was received at 10:04 a.m. Monday. He said the compact-sized van was traveling towards Mount Airy on N.C. 103/East Pine Street when it veered off the highway to the left in a right-hand curve of the roadway.

The vehicle then appears to have traveled off the roadway to the left, sideswiping a warning sign for the curve before it traveled a short distance and hit a tree head on. Units from the Four Way Volunteer Fire Department and Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department responded to the emergency.

Selba said the victim was a 73-year-old white male who has not been identified pending notification of the family. He was initially unresponsive when first responders arrived. Members of the Mount Airy Rescue Squad had to free the driver by cutting the door off of the van.

The victim was airlifted to Wake Forest Baptist Health from the scene which was near an open field. Selba said it does not appear speed was a factor in the accident and reports from another driver who witnessed the accident suggest an underlying medical condition may be responsible for the incident. No charges have been filed, and the accident is still under investigation.

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