Overcorrection — a common cause of many accidents — sent Dusty Pardue’s maroon Mitsubishi Montero Sport Friday morning flying through the air, crashing into a tree, and flipping over and over into a ditch beside N.C. 24/27.

Pardue was taken to FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital following the one-car accident. An N.C. Highway Patrol trooper at the scene of the accident spoke with the driver and thought he would make a full recovery.

“He said he fell asleep,” Trooper J.C. Burroughs said. “I have what he told me. He is very fortunate. I think he will be all right. A witness said he just ran off the road and overcorrected.”

Burroughs said the accident occurred around 8:40 Friday morning. Pardue had been heading east toward the Robbins Crossing when he apparently found himself going off the road to the right and pulled sharply back to the left to get back on the pavement, according to witnesses.

The spin tossed many things out of Pardue’s car, with bits of clothing and children’s toys scattered up and down the side of the highway on and around the wrecked car. GDW Towing, just across the road, responded quickly and workers gathered everything up and towed the wreck away once the investigation was done.

The Robbins Volunteer Fire Department also responded and remained at the scene throughout as a precaution.

Burroughs and Darryl Barber, a second patrol officer on scene, thought Pardue was traveling at a legal speed, probably around 55 miles per hour. Despite that, the impact did horrendous damage to the car, ripping its right rear wheel entirely off, smashing the back end, crumpling front and rear seating areas together.

A child’s car seat remained in position, and the officers pointed out that it had been correctly fastened and would have protected any child sitting in it.

Burroughs said people don’t realize how bad a 55 mph wreck can be. They also don’t realize how common overcorrection is, and how dangerous.

“That’s what happens when you overcorrect,” Burroughs said. “I advise adults when their kids are learning to drive to take them out somewhere on a road that is not busy. Let them run off the road — not at a high speed, at a slow speed — and just let them realize that all they have to do is take their foot off the gas and steer it back on the road.”

Contact John Chappell at (910) 783-5841 or jfchappell@gmail.com.