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Pedestrian killed on U.S. 158 in KDH
Sam Walker | July 18, 2012
A pedestrian was killed Tuesday after he was hit by a truck at an intersection on U.S. 158 in Kill Devil Hills, police said.
John Wiley Carlton Jr., 44, of Kill Devil Hills was hit by a Reddy ice truck at the intersection of Sportsman Drive and U.S. 158 at about 3:10 p.m.
Southbound traffic was blocked for about 90 minutes.
Speed did not appear to be a factor, police said, and no charges have been filed against the driver of the truck.
Kill Devil Hills police said in a statement : “The Department wishes to thank the residents and visitors who attempted to render aid to the victim and who stayed to provide eye-witness accounts of the incident.”
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Elaine says:
with all the stop lights on the beach, I am amazed that there is NOT one at Avalon Drive…one of the most heavily populated beach developments, mainly local residents. The one way streets were put in back in the ’60′s when my dad bought Avalon Market and have outlived thier use…PUUULLLLEEEESE remove those and put another light at Avalon Drive…I go to either Helga if going North or First if going South to get out…it’s not even good in winter months. And I would NEVER try to walk or ride my bike across that road which was at one time a by-pass….
Karen Heagy says:
I say that the OBX needs to install concrete medians in the entire lengh of 158 just like the one in front of Lowes. Ocean City, MD has these also. People dont get the fact that the middle turning lane is not an EXCELLERATION lane! I have seen cars drive for a mile or so on it just to merge into the lane, it is unbelievable to me that there havent been more accidents.
Diana Behling says:
I agree …a light at Avalon would be great. I teach my kids to go to Helga or third also. I am astounded at how people wal and bike to the suicide lane to wait to get to the other side. So sad for this terrible accident.
Perry says:
Not again!
Sandy says:
Adding stoplights and lowering speed limits is not always the answer when someone is injured or killed on the bypass.
People still have have to take responsibilities for their own actions such as drunk driving or jaywalking.
Cat says:
I saw this accident right after it happened. It was heartbreaking. I think because Avalon Pier is so close by there definitely needs to be a crosswalk!
Sue says:
Pedestrian bridges work very well.
Sue says:
I agree with you Sandy, people do have to take responsibility for their own actions. How many times do we see people running across the bypass, or heaven forbid riding their bikes along the side of the street! But I STRONGLY think that there should be sidewalks all along the bypass with normal crosswalks for pedestrian use. Unfortunately there are always going to be the drunken or foolish people that think they can outrun traffic, but KH, KDH and NH you HAVE to give people a safe option for biking or walking! It’s long overdue!
Avalon resident says:
How many accidents and deaths is it going to take to do something about the “suicide lane” and the small number of designated pedestrian crossings on Croatan Hwy? Yes, the pedestrians and bikers crossing wherever they want needs to stop too.
John Wilding says:
KDH needs to go to the state for a city limits to city limit 40 MPH> This happened in the 50MPH area
that girl says:
maybe people just need to remember that cars and trucks are bigger and cant stop on a dime. My mom taught me to look both ways and to wait until it was safe to cross. While I feel sorry for the friends and family left behind it is not the States or the towns responsibility to create a cross walk at every intersection or to put a stop light at every cross street.
Cat says:
All I’m saying is look at the facts. People drink at the Avalon Pier. Anyone who has been a long time resident knows this. I don’t care who they are, no one deserves to be run over. They need a crosswalk there, period! If there was a crosswalk it would eliminate the need to judge how fast traffic was coming, etc.
People need to remember that it effects the person who hits the pedestrian as well. Some have even taken there own lives because they can’t live with what they have done, even if it’s not their fault!
LISA says:
EVER SINCE I MOVED HERE 18 YEARS AGO I HAVE HEARD THAT THIS IS A TOURIST COMMUNITY AND THAT WE RELY ON THAT TO MAKE OUR LIVING, WITH THAT SAID WHY ARE THERE NOT SIDE WALKS ON EVERY ROAD???? WHEN PEOPLE COME ON VACATION TO A BEACH AREA THEY WILL WALK AND/OR RIDE BIKES TO WHERE IT IS THEY ARE GOING, IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH TOWN TO GIVE THOSE PEAOPLE A SAFE PLACE TO ENJOY THERE VACATION.
KDH Rezident Evil says:
Even with crosswalks people need to take responsibility when crossing the road; it certainly doesn’t eliminate the need for people to judge how fast traffic is going. It’s kindergarten stuff folk. Look both ways, wait for it to be safe, then hustle on across with you head on a swivel. I feel for the poor guy driving the truck. Now he’s got this on his conscience and it wasn’t his fault.
@Lisa: Agree 100% about the sidewalks, but every time somebody suggests that it seems there’s a chorus of short-sighted people who resort to calling advocates of multiuse paths tree-huggers and hippies. Apparently the name-callers hold elected office or have considerable influence because nothing gets done on that front. Kudos to Nags Head for having such a path on NC 12 at least.
flo says:
With all the taxes collected from homeowners and occupancy taxes from tourists the towns on the OBX should be able to afford to make changes in unsafe traffic patterns like Durham Street area. Where is all the money going? Into high salaries?
Bypass needs multi use path says:
Its sad that there isn’t a multi use path on the west side of the bypass. If there were one the entire way from southern shores to whalebone we wouldn’t have half of these deaths. People ( tourists and residents ) could safely reach a traffic signal where they could cross the road. The obx really needs to look into the amount of healthy people in our community who run/ walk/ /bike!
sandy says:
Thank you Cat for seeing reality! So the guy was drinking at the pier or Awful’s and walked home. At least he didn’t get behind the wheel and cause an even worse tragedy.
I’m sick of seeing people DIE on our bypass every summer, all summer long!
Let’s deal with the reality instead of an idealized world where everybody walks half a mile out of their way to cross at a light. People are going to cross the bypass on foot. Let’s figure out how to make it safer.
Jay says:
Just to clarify the facts, Wiley was not stumbling drunk across the road, and would never have even considered driving under the influence. Objectively, I think most residents and tourists alike would agree that both pedestrians and drivers need to take responsibility for assuring the safety of both themselves and those around them. Subjectively, a lot of us in this town have just lost someone who was a wonderful part of this community and very close to our hearts. There’s no point placing blame in retrospect; let’s remember an amazing person and focus on what we can all do to be safer going forward.
Cat says:
I don’t understand the argument about how people should know how to cross a street (remember there’s 5 lanes and it’s very busy w/people most likely texting, talking, and tourists not familiar with the area). That is irrelevant in my opinion. It’s not going to fix the problem, it’s an idealistic view, not reality. There’s obviously an issue there and it needs to be fixed! I saw this accident right after it happened.
Angela in MS says:
Thank you Jay…..for defending the memory of a wonderful person. I hope the ones in the community that knew his incredibly caring “old soul”, will cherish all he gave of himself. I’ll be visiting OBX for the Labor Day holiday and cannot phathom his absence.
Susan McIntyre says:
Jay and Angela
Thank you for standing up for Wiley. I am a friend of his (I live in Colorado). would you mind contacting me at 475paws@gmail.com
Vicki says:
Most of this discussion should be about the loss of Wiley not how or why but the fact that hs has been taken from the locals and the visitors that knew him personally.
Andy says:
Why not put up those overpasses like in the city…..like a small bridge for pedestrians. We could use them in SEVERAL places.
Diana says:
Many thanks to those of you who knew him and have spoken up to tell the world what a wonderful man he was and will continue to be by the influence he had on our lives. Some of you I know and some I don’t but wish that I did.
Here is a post I made earlier on another board and think that it pretty much covers the same issues that have been brought up here so I will just use it to try and clarify some things.
Here goes:
Hi, first I want to thank all of you that have expressed their sorrow and concern for us, John’s family and friends. However, I would like to take exception with a couple of comments that have been made and clarify some misconceptions.
First, it was determined in the course of the investigation that alcohol did NOT play a part in this tragedy. It was originally thought that MAYBE it did because John did have a couple of drinks that day but it was found to have ONLY been approx. 2 glasses of beer over a 4 hour time period – not enough to cause intoxication and the toxicology report verified this. That is why you only see alcohol mentioned in the very first news report and then never mentioned again in any subsequent reports. So please, if any of you are just picturing him as some derelict staggering around drunk in the middle of the day, erase that from your mind. The fact is, he hardly drank at all and even more rarely, to the point of total intoxication.
Second, to the person(s) who previously intimated that because John tried to cross the busy road he was “stupid” or “unthinking” I can assure you that he was neither. I am sure he would be horrified that his misstep has caused such distress to the truck driver who is truly innocent. He was thoughtful and considerate of others far beyond what most people would ever expect from another human being. He was an accomplished pilot (with a commercial license) not only in ultralights but in sailplanes, powered aircraft, experimental aircraft, remote control aircraft and helicopters (having done some work for a defense contractor on these types of craft) and though not licensed, could expertly fly helicopters too. He was a sailor, who as a teenager, taught himself celestial navigation and owned several sailboats over the years. He was also a surfer that was offered sponsorship in his younger days, and had recently (last 4 or 5 years) taken up windsurfing and moved from beginner to expert in an incredibly short amount of time to the amazement of other windsurfers he sailed with. These few things are only scratching the surface of his mental and physical abilities. So maybe he exhibited a little over confidence in his ability to handle such a dangerous road, but please don’t think he was stupid.
One other thing, some one mentioned (on an obxconnection board) the plane crash into the sound that happened two days before this accident and stated that he and the female passenger swam to shore. In reality he swam the 2 miles to shore carrying this woman on his back as well as having crawled out of his seat while they were coming down under parachute and climbing back to her in her seat (at immense danger to himself) so that he could be there to protect her on impact and help her with getting out of
her harness.
As well as being a friend to so many, John was a legend in the hang gliding community for his skill and patience helping any who asked and his vast knowledge of just about anything you wanted to talk about. With out a doubt he was considered one of the best, if not the BEST, tow pilots in the world for hang glider towing and sailplane towing.
But for me, he was the love of my life and my daughter’s father and grandfather to our 3 beautiful granddaughters.
Thank you for reading this. I just wanted to clarify who John was and hopefully replace misinformation with truth and to dispel the idea that seemed to be slowly taking shape that he was just a stupid drunk that had stumbled out into traffic.
I love you John Wiley Carlton and you will forever be in my heart and the heart of all the many who loved you!
Jillian says:
Diana…you know Wiley better than any of us…And u express how all of us feel so beautifully…THANK YOU…Requiem in pace pulchra gubernator.
Virtualguy says:
I am sorry for your loss. It sounds like Johns loss was a loss to the community, as well. I wish you luck and serenity as you move forward in life.
Neal Harris says:
Not having Wiley around will be hard to deal with. I fly every day in aircraft we shared, spent many hours with him two winters ago with the UAV project, built RC models and crashed many more with him. He won’t be resting in peace, he’ll be having too much fun with friends that went on before. Neal
Curt Warren says:
Thanks for posting Diana. You nailed it on all accounts. I’m just now dealing with this externally. I’ll be sure to send you and your family some of my words and stories about my cherished adventures and time together with Wiley.
Love,
Curt, Louise, Gala, and Wiley Warren
Sandy says:
Very well written Sister! He is and will be missed by all who were so blessed to know him. <3
Sandy M. says:
I just read all the comments and wanted to clarify something. I am not the Sandy who made that thoughtless and misinformed comment on July 17th. This is Sandy M., Diana’s sister.