A Wilkes County man and his wife are dead following a wreck earlier this week near Elkin. 82-year old Harley Carter and his wife Helen died instantly when he pulled in front of a speeding pickup on Old U.S. 21 north of Elkin. Troopers say the driver who hit them had been drinking, but the main factor in the wreck was Harley Carter pulling in front of the other driver. Carter was turning right in a Buick from Pleasant Ridge Road onto Old U.S. 21 in Wilkes County.



As he made the turn, his car was hit on the driver's side by a pickup driven by Ricky Dean Norman, 53, of State Road. Both cars slid about 50 feet. The Carters were dead when paramedics arrived. They were wearing seat belts. Norman was taken to Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital and later flown to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. At last check he was in fair condition.



Charges of driving while impaired and exceeding the posted speed limit are pending against Norman. A preliminary investigation showed that he was driving about 55 mph in the 45 mph zone on Old U.S. 21, and there were beer cans in his truck.

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