Local man passes away, two survive wreck into Lake Santeetlah

Lake Santeetlah – A Robbinsville man was killed – but two others survived – when an SUV crashed into Lake Santeetlah off Thunderbird Mountain Road early Thursday morning.

Highway Patrol Trooper Rohn Silvers said the SUV traveled off the right shoulder of the roadway, down a small embankment and into the lake. 

Jose Alfredo Moreno-Romero, 23, was a right front-seat passenger in the vehicle and was trapped inside the 2016 Toyota Highlander as it sank into the lake. His body was still inside the vehicle when a wrecker pulled it from the lake just before 5 p.m. later that day.

Driver Katie Shae Queen, 26, of Robbinsville, and rear-seat passenger Isreal Cervantez, 20, no hometown listed, survived the crash. They swam ashore and climbed back to the road.

Cervantez, with a black eye and his face swollen from his injuries, said he doesn’t remember anything from the time he reached the shore until he was sitting in the back of an ambulance. He returned to the accident scene later in the morning and kept vigil as emergency crews worked to recover the vehicle with his friend inside.

It is unclear the exact time of the crash. The N.C. Highway Patrol received the report at 4:31 a.m. Thursday.

Graham County fire, rescue and emergency management services responded to the scene, as well as U.S. Forestry and Highway Patrol.

A dive team from Hendersonville also responded and was able to verify the location of the vehicle, which was submerged about 20 feet beneath the surface of the chilly waters. Hendersonville divers connected the tow line to the vehicle allowing it to be pulled out of the water, up the embankment and onto the road.

Charges are pending at this time, Silvers said.

Pick up a copy of our Jan. 26 edition for a full report.