Cause of fatal accident not known

By Joanie Morris
Kannapolis Citizen
Kannapolis police have not received a preliminary autopsy report which might explain why an Enochville man crashed his car into a building on South Cannon Boulevard on April 22.
Officials at Carolinas Medical Center said Benjamin Tyler Poteat, 28, of 5740 Enochville School Road, died from injuries sustained after his car swerved off the road and hit a building at 3002 S. Cannon Blvd.
Michael Thornton told Kannapolis police officers he was driving north on U.S. 29 and when he crossed over Interstate 85, Poteat’s 2002 Acura TL passed him “at a high rate of speed in the left lane.”
Thornton, who stopped at the scene of the accident, said the Acura had gotten about 100 yards ahead of him when he saw the car turn abruptly to the right, leaving the road. From his location, Thornton didn’t see the accident happen, only a large cloud of smoke before he stopped.
Kannapolis Police Sgt. Bobby Lear said he was traveling south on Cannon Boulevard when he saw a cloud of dust on the northbound side at about 10:50 p.m.
In his report, Officer T.S. Lafferty noted the Acura left skid marks 36 feet long on the road, and the car traveled 98 feet off the road before the driver’s side door slammed into the right corner of the building.
He estimated the car was traveling at 55 mph before leaving the road and about 50 mph at the point of impact.
The car was registered to Poteat’s wife, April, according to the report.
Though they still don’t have a preliminary medical report, officers found no indication of alcohol use at the scene.
The Kannapolis Fire Department responded to the scene and found Poteat trapped inside the car and called for a helicopter from Carolinas Medical Center-Charlotte. They closed the northbound lane of Cannon Boulevard and set up a landing zone in the parking lot of the vacant Target building.
Firefighters freed Poteat at 11:19 p.m. and he was then transported by Cabarrus EMS to the helicopter, which flew him to the Charlotte hospital. He died at 3:45 a.m. Wednesday morning.
“What made this a difficult extrication for us was the condition of the structure,” said Battalion Chief Tracy Winecoff. “The instability of the flooring made the car unstable. Our firefighters and other personnel on the scene had to keep their safety in mind as they worked to free the driver.”
Total damage estimated to the car was $20,000. The building, which belongs to Troutman Enterprises, sustained $10,000 worth of damage.
Keith Troutman said the building was vacant at the time of the accident, but was being fixed up. Now, Troutman said, the building will be leveled.
Family members of Poteat were not available for comment.
Contact Joanie Morris at 704-933-3450 or jmorris@kannapoliscitizen.com.