[ad_1]
Two Cumberland County Bridges were renamed on November 8 in honor of two North Carolina State Highway Patrol soldiers who died in service.
Private Damion Cortez Roberts died in a single-vehicle car crash on NC Highway 210 near Fort Bragg on August 7, 1996, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a non-profit organization.
The memorial page on the group’s website says Roberts was a US Marine Corps veteran of the Persian Gulf War and had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for less than four years.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation has renamed the Interstate 95 bridge over the Cape Fear River in Cumberland County to the Trooper Damion C Roberts Bridge.
Following: Help sought in solving five fatal hit and run incidents in Cumberland County
Private John Henry Duncan Jr. died in a car crash on Turnbull Road on January 9, 2001 while assisting another soldier in a vehicle chase, according to its commemorative page. The other soldier was carrying out a traffic check and began to search the stopped vehicle, he said.
Duncan arrived at the scene to help with the search and a fight between the arrested driver and the soldiers ensued, according to the memorial.
The driver was able to get back into his vehicle and walk away, the two soldiers then chasing the fleeing driver, according to the memorial.
During the chase, Duncan lost control of his patrol car, crossed the center lane and collided with a cluster of trees, the memorial said. The patrol car caught fire on impact and exploded.
According to the memorial page, Duncan was a veteran of the United States Army and had served in the North Carolina Highway Patrol for two years.
The I-95 overpass at NC 87 has been renamed the Trooper John H Duncan Jr.
During the name change ceremony, the families of Roberts and Duncan were given replicas of the signs that are now placed on the decks.
The ceremony was hosted by NCDOT board member Grady Hunt and several speakers honored the two soldiers.
State Highway Patrol Commander Col. Freddy Johnson Jr., retired State Highway Patrol Captain Chris Morton, retired State Highway Patrol Sgt Chris Williams and members of the Roberts and Duncan families spoke.
Criminal reporter Jack Boden can be contacted at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter at @ jackboden5.
Support local journalism with a subscription to The Fayetteville Observer. Click the “subscribe” link at the top of this article.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cumberland County Bridges renamed in honor of NC HP soldiers
[ad_2]
Comments are closed.