Kure Beach woman killed in head-on collision

BRUNSWICK COUNTY (WWAY) — A Kure Beach woman was killed and a South Carolina man seriously injured in a head-on collision Monday morning.

North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers said Joanne Van Der Kuijl, 57, died in the accident while driving to work at Brunswick Community College. Van Der Kuijl died after hitting a truck head-on on Highway 211 near St. James.

The other driver involved Kenneth Gunter, 41, is still in the hospital.

Troopers said Van Der Kuijl’s car crossed the center line and hit Gunter’s truck head-on. Troopers say they’re still working to figure out why Van Der Kuijl crossed the center line.

London Schmidt, A BCC representative, says Van Der Kuijl was hired to serve as the director of the Brunswick Community College Interagency Program in 2014. She said Joanne proved to be a regional advocate for the intellectual and developmentally disabled community. Joanne helped the college with fundraising initiatives like the United Way campaign and the BCC Campus Fund Drive.

“The program thrived under her leadership. Her passion, positive attitude, and sense of humor will be greatly missed by her colleagues and students at BCC,” said Schmidt.