Lake Santeetlah – Two people escaped fairly unscathed after their vehicle skidded off the road, crashed through a guard rail and stop sign, ran down an embankment and knocked down gravestones at Lone Oak Cemetery before crashing into a tree.
Almond resident Phillip Graham, 22, was the driver of a 2001 Nissan sport utility vehicle registered to passenger Destiny Williams, 23, of Robbinsville.
The crash happened at about 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7. The two were traveling on U.S. Hwy. 129 toward Robbinsville about 3 ½ miles from town, approaching Lone Oak Baptist Church. It had been raining and when Graham rounded a bend, he encountered a wet spot and lost control, leading to the crash, they told The Graham Star at the accident scene.
The Highway Patrol report confirmed that it was cloudy and raining, and that those factors contributed to the crash, but also said Graham had been drinking and had a blood alcohol level of .12, well over the legal limit of .08.
The report said Graham was driving at the speed limit when he lost control – 55 mph – and hit the guardrail at an estimated speed of 50 mph.
The vehicle crashed through the guard rail and a stop sign and skidded 120 feet down a moderately-steep embankment at Lone Oak Cemetery, knocking down two gravestones before crashing to a stop into a tree.
Volunteer firefighters and the Graham County Rescue Squad, EMS and Sheriff’s Office responded immediately to the crash. The occupants of the car were able to get out of the wrecked vehicle on their own and said at the scene that they were not apparently injured.