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- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 24 Feb 2015.
Edgar Messer obituary
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 4 Apr 2001.
Lisa Purkey - Shirley Ledford - Local women killed in North Carolina crash
Two local women were killed in a single-vehicle accident Saturday in the Pisgah National Forest near Clyde, North Carolina.
North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper W.D. Franklin identified the two women as Shirley Ledford, 36, Rock City Road, Newport, and Lisa Purkey , 29, White Pine.
Trooper Franklin reported that the accident occurred when the Dodge pickup in which the two women were riding left a forest service road at 3:30 a.m. and traveled down an embankment.
The truck was being driven by Purkey 's 29-year-old husband, Scott. Also a passenger in the vehicle was Michael Jarnigan.
Trooper Franklin reported that the driver of the vehicle apparently attempted to go around a tree which had fallen in the roadway and got too close to the shoulder.
"The shoulder of the roadway gave way and the truck rolled down a 110-foot embankment," reported Trooper Franklin.
"Scott Purkey and the two women were thrown from the vehicle, but the other man remained inside the truck," Trooper Franklin reported.
Purkey was able to walk more than 12 miles before he found a home from where he could call for assistance, reported Franklin.
Emergency personnel were finally able to reach the scene at 11 a.m. and it took them a further four hours to rescue the three victims and transport them to the Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde. Franklin reported that the rescue was made more difficult by the rough terrain and recent rains.
Trooper Franklin reported that none of the four were wearing seat belts.
Funeral services were to be held for Ledford today at 2 p.m. at Manes Funeral Home Chapel. Burial is to be in the Open Door Cemetery.
Purkey 's funeral was held Tuesday at Farrar Funeral Home in White Pine.
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