A 36-year-old Sampson-area man was killed Easter night in a one-vehicle accident on N. Spring Branch Road (State Road 1002) near the intersection of Alderman Mill Road (State Road 1612).
N.C. Highway Patrol reports note that speed is believed to have been a contributing factor in the wreck.
The accident, involving what Highway Patrol Sgt. Eric Mellot noted was a small motorcycle, claimed the life of Joseph Larry Edwards of 176 Glover Road, Dunn.
Mellot’s release regarding the incident indicated that the collision, reported around 8:41 p.m. Sunday, April 20, was first thought to have been a hit-and-run accident, but after review of video footage from a nearby church, it was determined that no other vehicles were involved.
Edwards, traveling alone on the motorcycle, with no year or make visible, was traveling north on N. Spring Branch Road when he suddenly lost control and was thrown from the bike. Both the driver and the motorcycle came to rest in the roadway.
The driver was not wearing a DOT-approved helmet, the report showed.
More in Tuesday’s Sampson Independent