Driver Air Lifted after Suffering Injuries

By Jason Saine

DENVER, NC - A man driving a Ford Escape crossed the intersection of Highway 16 and 73 in Denver just after midnight on Monday and missed his turn.

The vehicle jumped a ditch and smashed into a tree at the Arby's in Denver.

The man sustained injuries but was able to exit the vehicle on his own accord though witnesses said that the man appeared to be under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.

Firefighters from the East Lincoln Fire Department, officers from the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office and Lincoln EMS responded to the call.

(Photo: Emergency workers attend to the accident victim early Monday morning.)

Inspection of the vehicle revealed that the steering wheel had collapsed when the man slammed into the tree under the force of his body moving forward on impact.

The man was placed in a Lincoln EMS ambulance and taken to the landing zone that was established at the old East Lincoln Fire Department on Highway 73.

Three Sheriff's officers rode with EMS workers in the ambulance after the man began resisting treatment.

MedCenter Air, which was already in the air, took only minutes to arrive and airlifted the driver to CMC in Charlotte.