North Carolina EMS Truck Damages Church Carport

April 10—SNOW HILL—A Hookerton EMS truck responding to a 911 call Wednesday hit and damaged the carport of a church.

Trey Cash, an EMT and Greene County fire inspector, said a man who was with his family members was injured in the church parking lot.

"A 51-year-old male fell and hit his head on the concrete," he said.

When the call came in to Greene County's dispatch center at 7:27 p.m., Hookerton EMS Captain Sheri Taylor arrived at New Wine Pentecostal Holiness Church (Iglesia Pentecostal Vino Nuevo) at 1826 N.C. 58. in Snow Hill.

As she pulled up to the carport at the front of the building, the top passenger side of the truck hit the side of the carport roof, knocking the opposite end of the roof off it's column of concrete blocks.

N.C. Highway Patrol trooper Kent Beaman said the damage to the carport was simply due to the weight of the truck.

"She didn't have much damage on the truck," he said. "... She wasn't going fast at all."

No charges were made, Beaman said.

Hookerton Mayor Bobby Taylor said the cost of retouching the paint at the top corner of the truck would likely cost $50 or less, but he didn't know if EMS would be having the repair done.

The concrete blocks holding up either side of the front of the carport appeared to be stacked without mortar.

Shaun Jackson, Hookerton fire chief, said he thought the department's insurance adjuster had been to the church Thursday morning to assess the damage, but he didn't know what the estimate is.

The injured man was taken to Lenoir Memorial Hospital, and his condition is unknown. It's also not known if he and the people who were with him are members of the church. Fire and EMS officials said they didn't know who the owner of the church is and no one from the church came to the scene after the family left.

Tax card information states the property owners are the church in care of Marcial Aguillon Sanchez and Gumersindo Ocana, with an address in the Snow Hill town limits. The sign in front of the church says the pastors are Marcial and Juanitaa and services are held Mondays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.

The building is the former Willie Gray Store, built in 1950.