DANBURY. North Carolina (TNO) — A high school senior was killed in a crash on his way to prom, leaving a North Carolina community devastated, officials said.
Will Turner, 17, expected to graduate from North Stokes High School in May. He planned to attend trucking school, with dreams of becoming a diesel mechanic, his loved ones told news outlets.
But Turner’s life was cut short when tragedy struck Saturday, April 12. Authorities said the teen was driving a Ford Taurus when he veered off the road and hit two trees. He died at the scene, the N.C. State Highway Patrol told the News & Record and WGHP.
A 17-year-old high school student died in a crash on his way to prom, North Carolina officials said. Screengrab from GoFundMe
State troopers told WFMY that speed was a factor in the crash. The wreck was reported at about 6 p.m. along N.C. Highway 8 in Stokes County, a roughly 30-mile drive north from Winston-Salem.
Turner wasn’t sure about going to prom but decided to go at the last minute, his foster mom told WXII and WGHP. Before the dance, he found a rock painted with the words “I’m ready” — a phrase his grandmother Bonnie Roberts said she now interprets as a sign of the tragedy that followed, according to a Facebook post.
Turner is remembered in news reports as a teen who loved outdoor activities, including fishing and hunting.
“He was the sweetest, most loving kid you have ever met,” foster mom Tina Lawson told WGHP. “If you needed something and he had it, it was yours. He just gave.”
Turner also enjoyed spending time with people and was “well-liked” on his campus, North Stokes High School Principal Ricky Vernon told news outlets. Stokes County Schools in an emailed statement said the district is offering additional counselors as the community grieves the “profound loss.”
“He would crack you up with a joke every day,” Vernon told WXLV. “His classmates loved him.”
The N.C. State Highway Patrol and a Facebook user believed to be Turner’s grandmother didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ requests for comment on April 15.
By SIMONE JASPER/The News & Observer
Simone Jasper is a reporter covering breaking stories for The News & Observer and real-time news in the Carolinas.
