By By GREG KATSKI
Staff Writer
A 72-year-old woman was killed Thursday when a car driven by her son collided with another vehicle in Martin County shortly after 10 a.m.
Doris Norman, of Oak City, was traveling with her son, Willie Matthewson Jr., east on Wynn Road when Matthewson failed to stop at the intersection of Wynn and Prison Camp Road. The Toyota Corolla in which the pair were traveling was then struck by a vehicle driven by James Shook, who was traveling north on Prison Camp Road.
N.C. Highway Patrol officer J.E. Lee, who was first on the scene at 10:38 a.m., said Shook, who was driving an Isuzu Trooper, had little time to react.
Norman, who was sitting in the front passenger’s seat, received the brunt of the collision, according to Lee.
Matthewson ran the stop sign because he was not paying attention to the road, according to Lee.
Matthewson, 48, of Williamston, was believed to be traveling between 45 mph and 50 mph at the time of the collision, according to Lee. Matthewson’s exact speed was not determined at press time.
Matthewson was charged with careless and reckless driving, and could face additional charges when the ongoing investigation is completed, according to Lee.
Matthewson and Shook, 57, of Windsor, each sustained minor injuries and were taken to Martin General Hospital, according to Lee. They were released on their own will about two hours later, Lee said.
The intersection of Prison Camp Road and Wynn Road, also called Church’s Crossroads, does not have high traffic density, according to Lee.
In regards to the accident and investigation, Lee said “it was pretty much cut-and-dry.”