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LODD rescue history. In 1976, two members of the Goldsboro Rescue Squad died on duty in two separate incidents. On March 28, 1976, James Hickman drowned during a water rescue\/recovery. On November 7, 1976, Kenneth Davis died in a vehicle collision. Here are those stories.<\/p>\n
James Madison Hickman<\/strong><\/p>\n March 28, 1976 \u2013 On a Sunday afternoon on the Neuse River at Quaker Neck Dam, located five miles southwest of Goldsboro, four fishermen from Angier launched two \u201coutboard boats\u201d into the water. In one boat were brothers Ronnie Langdon, 23, and Neal Langdon, 22; in the other were brothers Wayne Pope, 26, and Randy Pope, 22.<\/p>\n They had fished in that area of the dam before and were aware of the turbulent conditions of the waters near the dam. Recounted Randy Pope, after the incident, the Langdon\u2019s boat \u201cgot a little too close to the dam and they couldn\u2019t get a way.\u201d The suction in the water pulled the Langdon\u2019s boat over the dam. Wayne and Randy Pope brought their boat over to help, and their second boat also got caught in the suction, and were pulled over the dam.<\/p>\n Rescue squads responded from Goldsboro, Freemont, and Mount Olive, along with off-duty firemen, law officers, and others. Among the early rescue efforts was a boat launched by the Goldsboro Rescue Squad, with three squad members: James Madison Hickman, 36, Wayne Anderson, 23, and Keith Harris, 28.<\/p>\n They were searching the area of the dam when their rescue boat was pulled into the same \u201cdeadly suction of the dam waters.\u201d All three men grabbed at a tow rope at the same time, which caused their rescue boat to capsize.<\/p>\n Anderson saved himself by placing his feet on the capsized boat and kicking away from the suction. Harris jumped clear of the suction as the boat overturned. Hickman disappeared under the waters, last seen with a cut on his head.<\/p>\n At least 100 rescuers worked through the night and into the morning to recover the bodies of the four victims. Squad member Hickman\u2019s body was recovered about 9:30 a.m. on Monday morning. The body of Wayne Pope was recovered Sunday night. The bodies of Ronnie Langdon and Neal Langdon were recovered at 10:30 a.m. and 11:10 a.m. on Monday, respectively. [GNA, 3\/29\/76]<\/p>\n Hickman was the first member of the Goldsboro Rescue Squad to die in the line of duty. He was a veteran of the Air Force, where he served from 1958 to 1962. He was survived by a wife and two young sons. His funeral was held on April 1, 1976, at Victory Free Will Baptist Church. He was buried at Wayne Memorial Park. Squad members served as honorary pallbearers. [GNA, 3\/30\/76]<\/p>\n Later that month, veteran squad member and county commissioner Leon Bryan explained in a news story that life jackets were useless in the waters where the four had drowned. The forces in the water rendered the buoyance of a life jacket useless, and sometimes tore life jackets off of victims. [GNA, 3\/31\/76]<\/p>\n In May, large marker buoys were installed at both approaches to the \u201ctreacherous Quaker Neck Dam.\u201d The recent drownings brought the number of recent deaths at the site to seven since 1970. That year, a scoutmaster and two scouts drowned at the site, during a canoeing trip. The power company had already installed prominent warning signs on the river approaches to the dam. [GNA, 3\/31\/76, 5\/14\/76]<\/p>\n In July, Hickman\u2019s widow and two sons were presented a plaque in the memory of her husband. The squad\u2019s ladies auxiliary presented a life membership to Mrs. Hickman and donated $100 to the James Hickman Memorial Trust Fund, which had been established by the squad to help provide an education for the boys. [GNA, 7\/6\/76]<\/p>\n Kenneth Lee Davis<\/strong><\/p>\n November 7, 1976 \u2013 Just before 2:40 a.m. on Sunday morning, a Goldsboro Rescue Squad ambulance crashed on New Hope Road, about six miles east of Goldsboro. They were returning from a call in the New Hope community. Aboard were three squad members: Kenneth Lee Davis, 27, driving, Bobby Braswell, in the passenger\u2019s seat, and Ken Satterfield, seated behind the cab.<\/p>\n They were driving the squad\u2019s new ambulance and approaching the intersection of State Road 1709 near Jennings Garage. Squad member Braswell had just radioed the fire department dispatcher that they were returning to service from their call, having refused to transport the caller, as the person was intoxicated. Earlier that night, a rescue unit had responded to a call at another residence in the same area, and were also met by people who were intoxicated.<\/p>\n At 2:40 a.m., as the ambulance was traveling through the intersection on New Hope Road, a 1977 Oldsmobile on State Road 1709 ran the stop sign at a high rate of speed. The driver of the car was 16-year-old Dennis Reeves of Pikeville. His passenger was David Williams, 21, of Snow Hill. The car struck the ambulance in the left front, pushing the rescue vehicle more than 65 feet.<\/p>\n Both vehicles then struck a parked car at Jennings Garage, which was near the intersection. The two people in the car and squad member Davis were killed instantly, reported the next day\u2019s News-Argus.<\/p>\n The other two squad members were seriously injured, with Satterfield knocked unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he heard squad member Braswell yelling for help. Satterfield\u2014with a broken foot, crushed chest bone, and broken ribs\u2014kicked out the rear window of the overturned ambulance. He dragged squad member Braswell from the wreckage, and then went to a nearby home to call for help.<\/p>\n Fire department dispatcher Billy Ray Jones received the call about the accident and attempted to contact the rescue squad unit, not knowing that their ambulance was involved. When he was unable to get an answer, Jones notified squad captain Billy Holland that a rescue unit had apparently been involved in an accident.<\/p>\n Goldsboro Rescue Squad and Fremont Rescue Squad units immediately responded to the scene. They arrived, administered aid, and transported both Braswell and Satterfield to Wayne Memorial Hospital. [GNA, 11\/8\/76]<\/p>\n Davis worked as a draftsman for the city of Goldsboro and also served as the squad\u2019s secretary. He was survived by his wife Ruth and one-year-old daughter Melissa. They lived two and a half blocks from the rescue squad build, and Davis was usually the first one to arrive, when a call came in, recounted his wife in a newspaper profile in August 1977. They had been married about a four a half years, and both joined the squad shortly after they were married. She continued her auxiliary work after her husband\u2019s death. [GNA, 8\/26\/77]<\/p>\n The family received visitors on November 8, 1976, at Futrell Funeral Service. His funeral was held on August 10, 1976, at Free Chapel Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church. He was buried in Wayne Memorial Park. His pallbearers were Billy Holland, Ed Herring, Buddy Shaw, Gary White, Donald Jones, and Doug Fisher. The remaining squad members served as honorary pallbearers. [GNA, 11\/8\/76]<\/p>\n After the collision, county commissioner and charter squad member Leon Bryan took steps to have improvements made to the rural intersection where the accident occurred. He sent letters to the state requesting that engineers upgrade the intersection. Many residents in the area agreed that the corner was hazardous, with a blind approach from at least two directions. Several residents of the area said that as many as six motorists ran the stop sign each day. Several fatalities had also occurred at the intersection in recent years. [GNA, 11\/8\/76]<\/p>\n Squad member Satterfield suffered a broken foot, crushed chest bone, and broken ribs. He was also transported to Wayne Memorial Hospital, where he spent a number of weeks. He was returned home and confined to bed rest for a month. [GNA, 12\/9\/76]<\/p>\n Squad member Braswell received more serious injuries. He was transported to Wayne Memorial Hospital, and then to Wake Memorial Hospital in Raleigh, where he was admitted to the Neuro-Intensive Care unit within 24 hours of the accident. He spent a number of weeks at Wake Memorial before being returned to Wayne Memorial. [GNA, 12\/9\/76]<\/p>\n His injuries included a leg with multiple fractures; burns to his arms, hands, legs, and stomach, apparently caused by acid from an exploding battery; and a compressed fracture in his neck. He also suffered head injuries and received plastic surgery on his face (over 1000 stitches) and his mouth (over 600 stitches). [GNA, 12\/9\/76]<\/p>\n Though he was out of work for over a year and had seriously considered leaving the squad, he returned to rescue work, and by July 1979 was serving as its captain. [GNA, 7\/8\/79]<\/p>\n SOURCES<\/p>\n Goldsboro News-Argus articles, assorted<\/p>\n