Two killed when church van is hit by truck and rolls several times, NC officials say
Two people died in a crash between a church van and a pickup truck in North Carolina, officials told media outlets.
Antwomar Stevenson, 32, was driving a Chevrolet Silverado near the intersection of North Carolina Highway 211 and Little Macedonia Road in Brunswick County around 8 a.m. on Oct. 30 when he pulled out into the intersection and hit the back of the van, North Carolina State Highway Patrol told local outlet WECT.
The crash caused the van to roll over several times, troopers said, according to WWAY.
A passenger, 69-year-old Kimber Smitherman, was thrown from the van and died at the scene, highway patrol told WXII. A second passenger, 66-year-old John Natzle, also died at the scene.
Smitherman was from Dobson and Natzle was from Westfield, WWAY reported.
The driver of the van was airlifted to a hospital, and three other passengers in the van were taken by ambulance, highway patrol told WXII. Stevenson was also taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Stevenson has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and failure to yield causing serious injury, WECT reported. Troopers told the outlet they don’t suspect impairment was a factor in the crash.
The church van was from Freedom & Liberty Worship Center in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, which is in Surry County and is about 100 miles north of Charlotte, media outlets reported.
The church posted on Facebook that it will hold a celebration of life service for Smitherman and Natzle on Nov. 3.
No other information about the crash had been released as of Nov. 2. Brunswick County is in southeastern North Carolina, about 160 miles from Raleigh.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Two killed when church van is hit by truck and rolls several times, NC officials say."
