On June 22, 2010, Cary McCormack and his wife, Nanci, left their Spring Lake Heights home on a road trip to North Carolina. Along the way, the retired high school principal and administrator and his wife of 35 years decided to take a side trip to Charleston, South Carolina.
They had checked into their hotel and were walking down a flight of stairs to retrieve their luggage when Cary missed a step. He fell to the ground, badly injuring his right shoulder.