Eugene Laughridge Obituary – The victim of the fatal accident on Stateville Boulevard has been identified as Eugene Laughridge from Morganton. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol confirmed that Laughridge was the sole casualty of the collision. He was driving a Subaru passenger car when he was struck by a 2013 Ford pickup truck driven by Jeffery Antonitis from Holden Beach. Antonitis has been charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle.
The accident took place around 1 p.m. near the 6800 block of Statesville Boulevard. According to reports, the pickup truck veered off the road and collided with the Subaru, which was parked on the shoulder. A highway patrol sergeant at the scene mentioned that it was unclear if the Subaru was in motion or not, but it appeared to be stationary or moving at a very low speed. The cause of Antonitis losing control of the road is still unknown and further investigation is underway.
Fortunately, the driver of the pickup truck did not sustain any serious injuries. It was revealed that he was also not from Rowan County and was in the area for a painting job. As per standard procedure in cases like this, the pickup truck driver will be required to provide a blood sample to law enforcement. The collision resulted in the closure of the road by the N.C. Department of Transportation until the highway patrol completed their investigation.