The Wilmington Morning Star

ANOTHER VICTIM OF WRECK DIES

Early Morning Crash On Bridge Takes Toll of Three Lives

Private W. S. Little, 20-year-old military policeman, stationed at military police headquarters in the City Hall, was the third person to die as the result of a wreck early yesterday, when an automobile crashed into the west end of the Cape Fear river bridge, it was reported last night by the public relations office at Bluethenthal Army Air Base.

Others killed were Nora Lee Herring, 18, of Calypso, former waitress at the Hanover Grill, and Stanley R. Trusler, chief radioman, U. S. Merchant Marine.

State highway patrolmen said that Trusler was killed instantly and the girl, pinned in the front seat with the others, died about 20 minutes after the wreck occurred. Little was removed from the wreckage by military policemen and highway patrolmen, and taken to the Air Base hospital, where he died at 5:30 p.m. yesterday.

Traveling west on U. S. Highway 74, the Ford coach crashed into the left end of the bridge and tumbled down the river embankment, patrolmen said.

Declining to estimate the speed of the wrecked car, patrolmen declared it would take a car going at a rapid rate of speed to do the damage to it and the reinforced concrete bridge that was done.

The vehicle was described by patrolmen as 'completely demolished' and "considerable damage was done to the bridge."