It Sounded Like A North Carolina Car Accident, But It Wasn’t, And It Could Have Been Much Worse…
It could have been way worse than any North Carolina auto accident we’ve reported on a long time. Instead, only one man died, and that man is being heralded as a hero.
Here’s what happened.
Early one morning, around 5:45 a.m., residents of Sharpe Road in Burlington heard a horrific noise. It sounded like someone was speed racing down the street and turning up the volume of the noisy engine with a massive amp. A local resident, Deloris Burrell, told reporters “I heard a V-r-o-o-o-m! V-r-o-o-o-m! The first thing I thought was ‘why is someone racing their car at 5:30 in the morning’?”
Turns out, it wasn’t a car that was making the noise. It was a plane! A single-engine LabCorp plane piloted by 57 year old David Gamble of Greensboro.
Ms. Burrell ran to her window and saw Gamble’s small plane plummet out of the sky and crash land at an empty ball field near Mayco Bigelow Community Center. The plane erupted in a ball of flame. Investigators believe the plane had over 400 gallons of jet fuel onboard. Loccal residents ran to the scene of the crash and tried to help, but nothing could be done. The plane’s husk was a ball of flame, and Mr. Gamble sadly perished.
The crash is still under investigation, but authorities and local residents believe that Mr. Gamble purposely crash landed on the empty ballpark to avoid hurting anyone. That area is strewn with houses, and he could have easily crashed into a house, killing people literally in their sleep. It was a final act of extreme heroism augmented by a bit of luck. Residents say that people typically are out early walking around that track. But that morning, no one had been jogging or walking dogs. The damage to the facility was remarkably minimal, despite the fire and jet fuel release.
Not all North Carolina auto accidents involve acts of heroism or good luck, however.
If you or a loved one got hurt in a crash in Greensboro, Raleigh or elsewhere in the state, you may be confused about your rights, frustrated by an uncooperative negligent driver, or intimidated by insurance adjusters. There is no need to fight this battle alone. The team here at the Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo is standing by to help. Talk to us: we can provide a free consultation and help you strategize to make more intelligent decisions about your car crash case.
