Husband recalls wreck that killed his wife

She was killed Thursday afternoon when the car she was riding in was struck head-on by another vehicle on U.S. Highway 301 and Raleigh Road, north of Benson.

“A day doesn’t go by that I don't picture that accident, that I don't see that car coming at us,” said Beth Mitchell’s husband, Troy. “My wife said, ‘Troy grab my arm.’ There was nothing I could do."

Troy Mitchell, who was in the driver's seat of the vehicle, said Monday that he knew immediately after the collision that his wife wasn’t OK.

“I do remember looking over there and calling her two or three times, and her not even communicating to me, and I did see her chest go in, go back out, and that was it,” he said. “I knew she was gone.”

Paramedics transported Troy Mitchell to WakeMed, where he is recovering from a broken hip. Relatives and friends helped tell his 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter that their mother was dead.

"That was an absolute tragedy but it was something that needed to be done, because it starts the grieving process and the closure process,” said Troy Mitchell’s brother, Scott.

Beth Mitchell was an emergency medical technician. Her former co-workers at Selma EMS gave her son, Nicholas, a party this weekend to celebrate his fifth birthday.

“Somebody told me he (Nicholas) got kind of upset because he said his mama wasn't there to see him open his presents,” Troy Mitchell said.

Funeral services for Beth Mitchell are scheduled for Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Parrish Funeral Home, 1351 Pollock St., Selma.

The driver of the other vehicle was not injured. The investigating state Highway Patrol trooper is expected to consult with the Johnston County District Attorney's Office about potential criminal charges related to the wreck.