St. Pauls, NC – Clothing Merchant Killed in I-95 Wreck

St. Pauls, NC – Clothing merchant 69-year-old Hyman Fleishman, died in a very serious accident in Robeson County.

Fleishman was killed when the Buick he was driving crashed into a tractor-trailer while driving the wrong way on Interstate 95, according to the state Highway Patrol. The truck's driver was not injured.

Fleishman lived on Belmont Avenue in Fayetteville with his wife, Elinor, and their 14-year-old son Ovadya "Henry" Fleishman.

He was known best as owner for about half a century of Henry Fleishman Clothing, which had been open on Person Street for about twice that long. Fleishman was an Orthodox Jew who did not work on Saturdays, although his employees did.

Nancy Ramsey a sales clerk at the store, said Fleishman had complained of vision problems and had a fever and didn't feel well while at work Tuesday. "He kept talking about his vision," she said. "He didn't feel good."

Fleishman was driving south in the northbound lanes of I-95 when he crashed about 4 a.m., according to patrol Sgt. Joel Siles.

Siles said someone alerted the patrol that a maroon Buick was traveling south in the northbound lanes. About 3:50 a.m., troopers began converging to find and stop the car before it got into an accident.

Dexter Locklear of Lumberton, saw the car approaching head-on and swerved toward the shoulder to avoid an accident, Siles said. But the car hit the truck's rear axle, and Fleishman was killed.

Fleishman will be buried at 11 a.m. today at Beth Israel Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to the Beth Israel Synagogue, 2204 Morganton Road, Fayetteville NC, 28303. [fayobserver]