KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C.,None — A local deacon died early Sunday morning in a crash along Union Road in Gastonia.
Police said Ricky Darrell Youngblood was in a car by himself and somehow lost control just after midnight. Investigators said Youngblood's car became airborne after hitting a telephone pole.
Gastonia police said Youngblood's car hit an SUV with four people inside, including two children ages 7 and 8. Video from Channel 9's news partner, The Gaston Gazette, showed heavy damage to the passenger side of the SUV.
The children were rushed to Gaston Memorial Hospital, and one had to be airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center. Both were listed in critical condition, though the extent of their injuries was unknown.
Youngblood was rushed to Gaston Memorial Hospital, where he later died.
"If Deacon Youngblood could say anything, he would tell us, 'You go on and get yourself right because I know where I'm going,'" said Barbara Wray, a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Kings Mountain where Youngblood was a deacon.
Investigators have not said what caused Youngblood to lose control of his vehicle. The family said they are waiting for the results of an autopsy to come back.
WSOC
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