ELYRIA — The last conversation James Milton had with his best friend of 35 years was about making macaroni and cheese, he said.

Just after midnight Wednesday, after hanging out with Milton at Burger King on West Avenue, Lemuel Voorhies climbed into the passenger seat of a 1993 Corvette with a friend, Kimberly Smith, at the wheel, and headed for home.

Sixteen blocks down the street, he was killed in an explosive five-car crash.

“He was a good guy. He was kind to everybody,” Milton said of Voorhies, 46, of Elyria, who was also his step-brother.

“I can’t believe he’s gone.”

Voorhies was riding with a friend, 39-year-old Kimberly Smith, and witnesses said their Corvette was going at least twice the 35-mph speed limit, according to Elyria police Lt. Andy Eichenlaub.

The sports car slammed into a parked car in front of Smith’s home in the 1600 block of West Ave., starting a chain reaction that left the entire block littered with wreckage.

Eichenlaub said the parked car was hurled over a curb and into a telephone pole as the Corvette kept spinning and struck a second parked car, which ricocheted into a third one and sent it flying onto a lawn.

Meanwhile, the Corvette continued to spin, and Voorhies was thrown out of his seat and into a fourth parked car. County Coroner Paul Matus said he died less than an hour later at EMH Regional Medical Center of neck and chest injuries.

Smith was outside the Corvette when police arrived and was flown to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. A nursing supervisor said she was discharged later in the day.

Men at her home would not talk about her condition Wednesday night.

Latrice Allgood, a close friend of Voorhies’ family, was one of several people who gathered at his Maple Street house Wednesday to grieve. She said Voorhies leaves behind six children, some of them grown, but the youngest 3 and 5 years old.

“He worked on houses, knew how to do plumbing. He loved to fish, clean and cook. He had just cooked Labor Day dinner for everyone,” Allgood said. “He loved to ride motorcycles. It’s a real tragedy that he’s gone.”

Voorhies’ cousin, Latoya Milton, said he was a real talker with a great sense of humor who was always willing to lend a hand.

“He had a good heart and always wanted to help in any way he could. He would mow your lawn, help paint or help you move,” she said.

James Milton said he plans to set up a memorial fund today at FirstMerit Bank on Court Street to cover his stepbrother’s funeral expenses.

Elyria police continue to investigate the crash. Eichenlaub said they were still not certain Wednesday afternoon whether Smith or Voorhies were driving — but Matus said he believes Voorhies was the passenger, and James Milton said the same. Allgood said Voorhies didn’t have a license and would not have gotten in the driver’s seat.

Matus and Eichenlaub also said tests are under way to see whether drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash. Neither was found in the Corvette.

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.

Contact Jason Hawk at 329-7148 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.

 

---

Print this story

---

Comments for this article are closed.

---