Crash claims retired TC business owner
Responders to the Wednesday afternoon crash on Peacock Road included Trooper A.G. Redwine of the NC Highway Patrol. (Deuce Niven, TLT)
By DEUCE NIVEN
tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com
A retired Tabor City merchant driving his classic 1936 Dodge pickup truck was killed in a three vehicle crash east of town Wednesday afternoon when he was struck, head-on, by a much larger and newer Dodge truck.
George Hubert Soles Jr., 79, died instantly in the crash on Peacock Road at Reynolds Road, said Sgt. Mark Gore of the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
Soles owned and operated the former City Gulf service station on the corner of East 5th Street and Pireway Road in Tabor City, and had been retired for many years.
John Weidman, 61, of Conway, was issued citations for misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and failure to yield the right of way in the crash that took place about 2:15 p.m. on Aug. 28, Gore said.
Neither speeding or alcohol were involved, Gore said. Differences in mass and weight of the two pickup trucks were factors.
Fail to yield
Weidman, a hospice chaplain, was traveling east on Reynolds Road in a 2023 Chevrolet Malibu and pulled out onto Peacock Road, striking the driver’s side of a northbound 2018 Dodge Ram pickup driven by Jose Rubio, 38, of Renton, Washington.
Partially spun by the Malibu, the four-ton pick veered into the southbound lane, striking Soles’ truck head-on. The front of the larger truck came to rest on the cab of Soles’ vehicle.
A large crane was used to lift a larger pickup truck from the smaller, 1936 Dodge following Wednesday’s crash on Peacock Road.
A large crane was used to lift the larger truck from the smaller one.
All four occupants of the Rubio truck were taken to Grand Strand Regional Hospital in Myrtle Beach. Rubio and a 15 year-old were taken by Novant AirLink helicopters, two other juveniles, ages 12 and 17, were taken by Tabor City Emergency Services ambulance.
Weidman was taken to McLeod Loris hospital by Tabor City Emergency Services ambulance.
Additional responding agencies including the NC Highway Patrol, Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, Tabor City Fire Department, Williams Township Fire Department, Fair Bluff Fire/Rescue, and Whiteville Rescue Unit.
Look for more on this story in the next Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.
