A 20-year-old Winston-Salem woman was killed Friday night after her car was rear-ended by a suspected drunk driver, the News & Observer reported.
Elena Bright Shapiro, a trainee with the Carolina Ballet and a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, was driving about 20 mph when a car driven by Dr. Raymond Cook going about 80 mph hit her from behind, police said.
A funeral will be held Tuesday at Noon at Wait Chapel on the Wake Forest University Campus.
Cook, a plastic surgeon and assistant professor at UNC School of Medicine, was charged with felony death by motor vehicle and driving while impaired.
"He's obviously distraught. This is such a tragedy that's happened. And he's just try to get by day by day. He's just flooded with so many emotions right now," said Roger Smith, Cook's attorney.
In 1989, Cook was stopped for speeding in Georgia. He was later charged with driving while intoxicated. That same year, he was charged with DWI in Wake County, but the charge was later dropped.
Cook is currently on administrative suspension from Wake Med. According to the hospital's web site, Cook is a facial reconstructive expert.
On Sunday afternoon, a spokeswoman from the School of the Arts released the following statement:
Elena Bright Shapiro, an alumna of our School of Dance, passed away after a tragic accident on Friday, September 11, 2009. Elena was a gifted dancer and an exceptional person, and she will be greatly missed. Our hearts are with the Shapiro family, whose steadfast dedication to the school throughout the years has added tremendously to both our joy and our success. Plans to establish a scholarship at the school in Elena's memory are under way. We will let our UNCSA community know more information as it becomes available.
Elena Bright Shapiro, a trainee with the Carolina Ballet and a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, was driving about 20 mph when a car driven by Dr. Raymond Cook going about 80 mph hit her from behind, police said.
A funeral will be held Tuesday at Noon at Wait Chapel on the Wake Forest University Campus.
Cook, a plastic surgeon and assistant professor at UNC School of Medicine, was charged with felony death by motor vehicle and driving while impaired.
"He's obviously distraught. This is such a tragedy that's happened. And he's just try to get by day by day. He's just flooded with so many emotions right now," said Roger Smith, Cook's attorney.
In 1989, Cook was stopped for speeding in Georgia. He was later charged with driving while intoxicated. That same year, he was charged with DWI in Wake County, but the charge was later dropped.
Cook is currently on administrative suspension from Wake Med. According to the hospital's web site, Cook is a facial reconstructive expert.
On Sunday afternoon, a spokeswoman from the School of the Arts released the following statement:
Elena Bright Shapiro, an alumna of our School of Dance, passed away after a tragic accident on Friday, September 11, 2009. Elena was a gifted dancer and an exceptional person, and she will be greatly missed. Our hearts are with the Shapiro family, whose steadfast dedication to the school throughout the years has added tremendously to both our joy and our success. Plans to establish a scholarship at the school in Elena's memory are under way. We will let our UNCSA community know more information as it becomes available.
