A church van rolled over on US #1 Bypass near the intersection with Hwy 690 Friday night. Emergency crews responded at 11:23 PM to the accident with victims trapped in the vehicle.Â
Upon arrival, emergency crews worked for an extended time to extricate two of the victims from the wreckage. The van was laying on its side in the roadway, and emergency crews had to cut the roof off the vehicle to gain access to the victims.
Once out, the two victims were taken by ambulance to the ball-field in Vass where two helicopters landed to take the victims to a trauma center. The five other victims were transported by ambulance to FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital. According to authorities, this was the first use of Carolina Air Care Helicopter, Tarheel 2, which is now based in Aberdeen.
The van was from the Bridges Grove A.M.E. Zion Church of Shannon, NC, in Hoke County.
The wreck blocked both southbound lanes of U.S.1 for quite some time while emergency crews worked. The Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.
Responding to the scene were Cypress Point Fire & Rescue, Southern Pines Fire & Rescue, Moore County EMS, Vass Police Department, Moore County Sheriff’s Department, and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Photos by Frank Staples, Sandhills Sentinel ContributorÂ
