North Carolina dad dies after driving on ‘bridge to nowhere’

A North Carolina father of two died after he traveled over a bridge that was destroyed almost a decade in the past in an accident that his household referred to as “an avoidable tragedy.”

Philip Paxson, 47, was driving dwelling in Hickory, North Carolina, on Sept. 30 when he crossed over the bridge. Officers and emergency responders arrived on the scene at round 9:45 a.m. on Oct. 1 and located a 2020 Jeep Gladiator “the wrong way up and partially submerged in a creek in an space the place the roadway had washed out,” in accordance with a information launch shared with TODAY by the North Carolina Division of Public Security.

Paxson was discovered useless contained in the car, and authorities imagine the accident occurred shortly after 11 p.m. on Sept. 30, in accordance with the NCDPS.

Troopers advised NBC affiliate WCNC that obstacles warning drivers of the collapsed bridge forward had apparently been moved.

Paxson’s widow, Alicia Paxson, declined to instantly remark to TODAY, however wrote in a Fb submit that she desires to boost consciousness for “what an avoidable tragedy that is.”

“This was a identified hazard. 2014!! Simply an accident ready to occur. Phil needed to lose his life to convey consciousness,” she stated in a submit.

Paxson’s sister-in-law Kayla Bubar advised WCNC: “He took a left and that left went to that bridge to nowhere, which is what they referred to as it since 2013 when that bridge washed away and nobody took duty to get that bridge fastened.”

WCNC stories that officers have been attempting to get federal and state funding to restore the roadway since 2013.

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) advised WCNC that his workplace tried to get funding from the Federal Emergency Administration Company to restore the bridge in 2013 and 2016, however because the bridge is on a personal street, it wasn’t eligible for the funding.

FEMA didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from TODAY asking to substantiate McHenry’s public security circumstances.

The North Carolina Division of Transportation advised WCNC it would not have the authority to make enhancements as a result of it’s a personal roadway, and Catawba County additionally stated counties in North Carolina don’t preserve personal roads.

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Eric Andrews, president of the Realtors Land Institute Carolinas chapter, advised WCNC that native residents can petition for the state’s transportation division to take over upkeep of the street — or they could must take duty for the street themselves if they need it fastened.

“Phil didn’t should die like that and it’s a horrible factor to undergo. His kids now don’t have any father,” Bubar advised WCNC. “We aren’t going to let it go and we’re going to discover out who’s answerable for it.”

Bubar created a GoFundMe for his funeral bills, which has reached greater than half of its $50,000 purpose. Paxson is survived by his spouse and two daughters, two sisters, a sister-in-law and lots of nieces and nephews, in accordance with his obituary.

“This valuable household misplaced an exquisite father, husband, son, and son-in-law,” the obituary learn. “He was bigger than life, all the time prepared for an journey, with a everlasting smile on his face. He would provide the shirt off his again or speak you out of the one on yours.”

This text was initially printed on TODAY.com