Tyler David Williams, 14, died Saturday afternoon while he and two other students from Greensboro Day School were tubing at Badin Lake.
And early Sunday morning, Dontrice Fewell, 17, died on Summit Avenue when he came into contact with power lines knocked down after a one-car accident.
A fellow passenger suffered serious injuries when he also touched the downed lines.
Details of both accidents remain sketchy.
An officer with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission declined to give specifics about how Williams died or identify the youngsters who were injured.
“Right now, everything is under investigation,” said Sgt. Ashley Thompson. “There was one boat involved and a tube. The boat was pulling the tube. We’re still trying to get up with a few witnesses.”
Williams’ brother, Blake, said Sunday night that the three youngsters were slung off the tube and struck by the boat, which was being driven by the father of one of the survivors.
Thompson, who could not be reached to confirm that information, said earlier that the injured were about 14 years old. Two people in the boat apparently were not hurt.
Williams, a ninth-grader, died at the lake, Thompson said.
An obituary in today’s News & Record said Williams was one of two freshmen who had just been inducted into the Greensboro Day School Honor Board.
“Tyler was an incredibly gifted young man with quick wit and comedic humor,” the obituary said. “People were drawn to Tyler because he always made them feel good about themselves.”
A spokeswoman said Greensboro Day School had sent out more than 1,000 email to members of the school community, informing them of the tragedy.
“We are mourning the loss of a wonderful student, and we are supporting the families of those injured,” said Stacy Calfo, the school’s director of communications. “(Tyler) was well liked and well loved.”
Mark C. Hale, head of school at Greensboro Day, said in a statement late Sunday that, “the schools’ counseling staff and others are making plans for our students’ return to school on Tuesday. Our focus will be on supporting our students and helping them cope during this time of grief.”
Calfo would not identify the injured students.
Thompson said the injured were flown by helicopter to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
The officer described the injured as being in stable condition when they left the lake.
Efforts to update their condition Sunday night were unsuccessful.
The accident occurred about 12:40 p.m. Saturday near Uwaharrie Point, a golf community near the north end of the 5,355-acre lake, which touches parts of Montgomery, Stanly and Davidson counties.
Fewell, 17, died after his 2002 Chrysler ran off the right side of the road, hit a power pole and knocked down the transmission lines.
The car, which carried five people, had been traveling north on Summit when the accident occurred in the 4300 block at 1:21 a.m.
Police said Fewell and a back-seat passenger, 16-year-old Richard Rios, also of Greensboro, climbed out of the car and attempted to crawl under the live wires.
Fewell, who was identified by local media outlets as a student at Northeast Guilford High School, died at the scene; police said Rios was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center where his condition Sunday night was listed as serious.
Police could not say whether the other passengers remained in the car and awaited rescue or managed to crawl out without incident.
“The traffic accident investigator has not finalized the report,” said Susan Danielsen, public information officer for the Greensboro Police Department. “He’s still doing some calculations to determine if speed was a factor in the accident.”
The incident closed all lanes of Summit between Southern Webbing Mill Road and Yarbrough Drive while Duke Energy crews made repairs.
Efforts Sunday night to reach Guilford County Schools officials to learn more about Fewell were unsuccessful.
Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson@news-record.com
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