Wingate To Hold Memorial For Students Killed In Crash

Wingate University is holding a private memorial on Monday after a crash that killed two incoming students and injured two others.

Arielle Parker, 18, from Greensboro, and Mishawn Miller, 18, from Fayetteville, were killed in a crash on Saturday morning, according to the Highway Patrol. Kendrick Reid, 19, from Greencastle, Pa., and Marcelle Louba, 18, from Charlotte, were injured. Reid was released from the hospital Sunday. Louba is still in serious condition at Carolinas Medical Center.

Troopers said Miller ran a stop sign at the intersection of Old Pageland Monroe and White Store roads shortly before 9 a.m. Saturday. A large grain truck then crashed into the car, troopers said.

The driver of the truck was going the speed limit, according to troopers.

The four teenagers were on their way to the XTreeme Challenge high ropes course near Monroe, where they would join other students to learn team-building techniques, according to a Wingate spokeswoman.

The teenagers moved to campus on Aug. 1 to be part of the three-week program, designed to give incoming freshmen an early introduction to college life.

College administrators said they talked with the other students and met Sunday morning to figure out the future of the program, which still has one week left.

Rhett Brown, Wingate’s Vice President of Student Life, said the other students in the program said they wanted to finish what they started.

“They’re fine young people. I think that for many of them, they feel this would honor their classmates to continue in the program and I think they care about each other very much,” Brown said.

Though Monday’s memorial is private, university leaders said they will soon organize a public service for the entire campus and community.

Concerns Over Intersection

A flashing red light was installed at the intersection of Old Pageland Monroe and White Store roads a few years ago, but some area residents said it’s not enough.

"The visibility looking left, to get across, is just terrible," Amanda Maggard said.

Trooper Randy Lankford agreed, saying installing a traffic light at the intersection “would be a very good idea.”

Maggard said she has been fighting for changes to the intersection for years. In May 2008, she collected hundreds of signatures and petitioned the Department of Transportation for a traffic light. The DOT denied the request, though, saying in its response that the traffic volume was “not large enough.”

Monroe resident Joseph Matheson said he and his wife were driving on White Store Road on Saturday morning and saw the crash.

"This intersection is very dangerous, and I'm very afraid of it," Matheson said. “Lord knows, the man driving the truck never had a chance. He never had a chance to see that car. I mean, that's how fast it happened.”

Maggard said she will continue to fight to make the area safer for drivers.

"There's no excuse now for not installing a light. Lives are at risk. They need to be proactive," she said.

Maggard said she is starting a new petition and wants to get 2,000 signatures.