CVCC student killed in crash

August 12, 2010

A Catawba Valley Community College paramedic student was killed Monday night in McGrady.
Richard “Allen” Matheson, 19, of McGrady, was riding in his friend’s Chevy TrailBlazer about 10 p.m. Monday on Mountain Valley Church Road in McGrady. The driver, Adam Burke, 19, went off the road’s shoulder, overcorrected and crossed the center line.
The TrailBlazer collided with a Ford Expedition traveling in the opposite direction. The Expedition struck the TrailBlazer near the front passenger seat, which is where Matheson was sitting.
Two other men, Allen Pruitt, 22, and Zane Faw, 19, were sitting in the backseat of Burke’s SUV at the time of the crash. Pruitt is in serious condition, Burke is in good condition and Faw was treated and released from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
A family of four was riding in the Expedition, including Patricia Church, 37; her husband, James Monroe Church, 43; and their children, 11-year-old Ashley Nicole Church and 8-year-old Dustin Church.
Patricia, James and Dustin are in fair condition, and Ashley is in good condition.
Matheson’s father, Mike Lane, is chief of the McGrady Volunteer Fire Department, and Matheson planned to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Burke was traveling slower than the speed limit at the time of the crash, and no alcohol was involved.