Taylorsville – On Monday, August 28, at approximately 7:20 p.m., the NC State Highway Patrol responded to and investigated a fatal collision in Alexander County on Rink Dam Road near Sam Poole Lane. A 2004 Nissan Frontier was traveling east on Rink Dam Road, drove off the right side of the road, went down an embankment, overturned, and came to rest on the passenger side.
The driver of the Frontier, Michael Franklin Rockette, 43, of Taylorsville, succumbed to his injuries at the scene. He was not restrained by a seatbelt.
During the on-scene investigation, Rink Dam Road was closed in the area for an hour. The initial investigation indicates impairment to be the contributing circumstance in the collision.