PEDESTRIAN STRUCK AND KILLED

A Toyota Camry struck a pedestrian Monday at a busy Newton intersection.

By Jon Mayhew (NEWTON) -- A Catawba County man dies Monday after being struck by a car at the intersection of U.S. 321Business and Highway 10.

Newton’s Police and Fire Departments, along with Catawba County EMS and Newton-Conover Rescue responded around 1pm to the scene, where Johnny Sigmon was struck by a 2009 Toyota Camry owned by Mike Johnson’s Hickory Toyota.

The Toyota’s driver, Robert Luther Chatman of Clark’s Creek Circle in Newton, was traveling on the inside southbound lane of Highway 321 Business, when he came upon stopped traffic waiting to turn into Burger King.

Sigmon, meantime, was crossing the road from the Burger King towards the Kangaroo Express and was in front of the stopped vehicles. Authorities said Sigmon failed to see Chatman and upon impact, Sigmon was carried almost 90 feet from the area on the vehicle.

Chatman was taken to Catawba Valley Medical Center, treated and released. Sigmon was airlifted with life-threatening injuries from CVMC to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, where he later died from head injuries and other trauma.

Traffic officer Sgt. B.D. Hendron said the investigation is continuing. No charges have been filed in the crash.