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A Barnes and Noble employee was killed Tuesday morning while walking to work.
Eric Franklin Simpson, 27, of Carrboro was crossing N.C. 15-501 at Mt. Moriah Road in Durham just before 6 a.m. when he was struck by a car.
Simpson was going to his job at Barnes & Noble in New Hope Commons Shopping Center, according to investigators and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the vehicle, 31-year-old Vernon Chris Worley was not injured and investigators do not anticipate filing charges against Worley at this time.
Part of N.C. 15-501 was down to two lanes in both directions and closed at Mt. Moriah Road for some time, but has since reopened.
Police say there are no crosswalks at the intersection and it was still dark when the accident happened.
Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to call Investigator Larry Cox at 560-4935, ext. 29409.
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Comments
By Ronda Gray on 09/30 08:00 PM
My husband, our two young boys and I were caught in the traffic as I drove my husband from Durham to his job in Chapel Hill at 7:00 that morning. The whole thing was handled poorly from a citizens standpoint. This poor man was barely covered laying in the intersection for all to see. The color of his socks and the blood on the white "blanket" will forever be etched into my mind as I'm sure others who passed by will feel. Children on busses on their way to school and could have seen this sad sight. His dignity should have been protected even in his death. And the public should have been sheltered from a gruesome scene. I have prayed on and on for this poor soul, his family and friends, the driver of the car and his family and friends who are ALL in need of comfort and care during this difficult and tragic time. The NCDOT certainly DOES have their priorities stuffed into a dark and unsightly place if they believe that the safety of the public is not at the heart of this matter. #1 how could a ped bridge slow traffic? #2 I believe that having to close down 4 lanes of traffic during morning rush-hour was far more congestive than anything that could be caused by a safety bridge. I pray that this man did not die in vain and that something positive might come from this.
By Lisa on 09/30 09:05 AM
Saddened by this news, I knew him well, we worked together at New Hope Commons a few years back. I remember how scary that intersection can be. My thoughts and prayers are with Eric's family and my old store at New Hope, miss you guys!
By Kate of Chapel Hill on 09/29 09:56 PM
This is a horrible accident that happened to 2 people. One who lost there life and the other who although it wasn't his fault will have to live with it for the rest of his life. The DOT should absolutely do something at these intersections, people walk through there all the time. This could have happened to any of us.
By Joseph of Durham on 09/29 08:16 PM
The N.C. Dot has said that it won't create pedestrian walkways at the intersection because they might cause traffic delays. Might one think that they have their priorities wrong? Unfortunately, this very nice young man had to lose his life because of their lack of foresight. Aren't we trying to encourage "Green lifestyles" not discourage them. Way to go DOT.
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