Reprinted from Ocracoke Observer’s 2:30 p.m. Feb. 13 report
An Ocracoke Island man, Warren Howard Frantz of Sunset Drive, died Tuesday morning after his vehicle sailed off an overwashed N.C.12 at the north end of Ocracoke and landed in sandbags alongside the road.
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Frantz, 61, and his wife, Janet, were driving to catch the 11 a.m. ferry leaving Ocracoke when the vehicle hit water on the road, it went airborne and off to the right toward the ocean.
A bystander, islander Thurston Sumner, ran to the vehicle and was able to get the woman out of the car. This reporter stood with Janet, who said she’d suffered a broken arm.
Soon afterward, Hyde County EMS and members of the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department arrived on the scene to attend to Warren, known as “Howdy,” and who was still trapped in the vehicle.
Hyde County Sheriff Capt. Joe Smith confirmed that despite rescue efforts and CPR, Frantz had died but Smith did not have further details.
North Carolina Department of Transportation officials have closed the road from the pony pens northward because of the hazardous conditions and after the 11 a.m. ferry left the N.C. Ferry Division suspended Hatteras ferry runs.
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This story is provided courtesy of the Ocracoke Observer, a newspaper covering Ocracoke island. Coastal Review is partnering with the Ocracoke Observer to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.
