A Free Press newspaper carrier died early Monday morning in a single-vehicle accident while delivering his route.
Rockel Garner, 39, of Kinston was driving east on Middle Road at Wilcox Bridge in Jones County near Trenton when his 2012 Nissan Sentra swerved off the road and struck a tree. Garner was ejected from his vehicle and he died at the scene of the accident, said Highway Patrol Trooper M.S. Turner, whose office received the call of Garner’s accident at 5:22 a.m.
Turner said it appears Garner fell asleep at the wheel. He said speed did not appear to be a factor in the accident.
“I think he fell asleep and hit a tree,” Turner said.
Garner’s body was transferred to Jacksonville’s Onslow Memorial Hospital, the standard practice when there is a fatal accident in Jones County, Turner said.
The Kinston High School graduate (class of 1991) had delivered the “712” route for The Free Press since the middle of November, said the paper’s circulation director Jim Register. That route covers U.S. 70 into Wyse Fork and N.C. 58 into Trenton
He was notified of Garner’s passing by the deceased man’s wife Monday morning.
“This is a very, very tragic circumstance,” Register said. “We want to remember his family in our prayers.”
Funeral arrangements for Garner have not yet been set.
Bryan C. Hanks can be reached at 252-559-1074 or at Bryan.Hanks@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at BCHanks.
