Ocracoke man dies in Tuesday morning accident on northern Ocracoke Island
An Ocracoke Island man died in a one-vehicle accident on N.C. Highway 12 on Tuesday morning, February 13.
The man and his wife were traveling north on N.C. Highway 12 to catch the 11:00 a.m. Ocracoke ferry when the vehicle hit a stretch of flooded roadway and crashed into the adjacent sandbag berm. According to a source at the scene, the couple was trying to catch the ferry due to a medical emergency.
According to the Ocracoke Observer, a bystander, Ocracoke resident Thurston Sumner, ran to the vehicle and was able to rescue the woman out of the car, who suffered a broken arm.
Hyde County EMS, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) personnel in the area, and members of the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department responded to the accident after the vehicle crash. The man died on the scene, despite rescue efforts.
The NCDOTÂ closed N.C. Highway 12 on northern Ocracoke Island between the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry terminal and the National Park Service Pony Pens due to excessive flooding late Tuesday morning.
Ferry service between Hatteras and Ocracoke has also been suspended.
