Two die in wreck

A two-car collision on U.S. 70 near Kennedy Home Road left two Kinston residents dead Monday afternoon.

Killed were 55-year-old Thomas Caverly and 51-year-old Debra Caverly of 2558 Cedar Dell Lane, who were pinned in their vehicle by the crash. The driver of the second car, 19-year-old Ashley Schaub of 571 Tyree Road, was listed in stable condition Monday afternoon at Lenoir Memorial Hospital.

According to State Trooper J. Noble, a yellow Hyundai Tiburon GT driven by Schaub was traveling eastbound on U.S. 70 when it struck a white Saturn driven by Thomas Caverly around 12:30 p.m. The Saturn was attempting either to make a left turn to head west on U.S. 70 or to go straight toward Eason Road.

The impact of the collision caused the Saturn to flip upside down and land on a traffic guard rail.

Before emergency crews arrived at the scene, several bystanders attempted to assist the accident victims.

"I heard the accident happen," Randy Fuller of Kinston said.

Fuller was at a Banks School Road stop sign about 200 yards from the scene when he first heard the collision. He then drove to the scene to see if he could help.

"I walked up and could see three people hurt," Fuller said. "It looked like both people in the white car were deceased. A young girl in the yellow car was talking."

Fuller said several bystanders attempted to offer the accident victims some help.

Gloria Muller, of Lenoir County, was driving through the area just after the accident occurred. Muller saw Schaub crawl out of her vehicle's wreckage and sit on the roadway.

Muller went to the white Saturn where she checked both Thomas and Debra Caverly's pulses for a sign of life.

"There was no pulse," she said. "They were in pretty bad shape."

Following the collision, traffic at the U.S. 70 and Kennedy Home Road intersection was delayed for about 45 minutes.

North Lenoir Fire Rescue, La Grange Fire Rescue, Lenoir EMS, Lenoir County Sheriff's Office and State Highway Patrol responded to the scene.

Noble said Schaub was not cited in the accident. The investigation into the incident is on-going.

Chris Lavender can be reached at (252) 559-1078 or clavender@freedomenc.com.