A head-on collision on N.C. Highway 8 south of Lexington killed two adults and left an 8-year-old girl fighting for her life Monday night, after troopers say none of the vehicles' occupants were wearing seat belts. The crash happened around 8:15 p.m. near High Meadows Drive, sending one driver flying from his car and forcing both vehicles off the road.
According to The Dispatch, 43-year-old Kelly Cross Young of Briggs Road in Lexington was driving a 2004 Lincoln Town Car south on N.C. 8 when she crossed the center line and struck a 1993 Honda Civic del Sol head-on. That Honda was driven by 29-year-old Austin Ray Bowden of Swicegood Road in Linwood. Trooper Whit Efird, reporting details of the collision on behalf of the Highway Patrol, said the impact sent the Lincoln careening back across the roadway before it came to rest off the right side, facing east.
Bowden was ejected from the Honda in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene, per the same account. The Honda ultimately left the roadway on the right side as well, coming to rest facing east. Young suffered critical injuries and later died as a result, while her 8-year-old daughter, Ava Mae Young, who was riding in the front passenger seat, sustained serious injuries.
Child Rushed to Region's Only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center
Davidson County EMS transported Ava Mae Young to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Brenner Children's Hospital in Winston-Salem, the article notes. Brenner has held Level I pediatric trauma certification since 2011 and was reverified for that status in 2024, according to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, making it the only facility of its kind serving the Piedmont Triad region.
Investigators say none of the occupants in either vehicle were wearing seat belts at the time of impact, per Trooper Efird. Early reports on the crash suggested alcohol may have been a factor, but an updated statement from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol later confirmed that impairment was not suspected as a contributing cause, according to a report on the crash investigation. The crash remains under investigation by the Highway Patrol.
Unbuckled Riders Still Drive a Large Share of NC Deaths
North Carolina posted a record seat belt usage rate of 92.8% among drivers and front-seat passengers in 2024, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation. Even so, state data shows unbuckled occupants still account for more than 40% of the state's traffic fatalities, a gap that this crash's toll reflects. Under North Carolina General Statutes § 20-135.2A, seat belt use is mandatory for all vehicle occupants, carrying a $25.50 penalty plus court costs for front-seat violations, per BuckleUpNC.org. Separately, N.C.G.S. § 20-137.1 places legal responsibility on drivers to ensure passengers under age 16, such as Ava Mae Young, are properly buckled in a seat belt or child safety restraint.
Statewide traffic deaths hit 1,755 in 2021, the highest single-year total in two decades, driven in part by a rise in unbuckled occupant deaths, the N.C. Department of Transportation has reported. Davidson County has not been immune to the toll: State Highway Patrol troopers reported four traffic fatalities across county roadways in a single week in April, according to Trooper Efird.
Community Prepares to Mourn Austin Bowden
Bowden worked at LSX Salvage in Lexington and is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and two daughters, ages 4 and 1, according to Davidson Funeral Home. Funeral services are scheduled for September 2 at Near Calvary Freewill Baptist Church in Lexington, following a public visitation the evening before.
The crash marks the latest in a string of serious traffic incidents to strike the Lexington area this year, following a fatal fall from the Yadkin River bridge in May and a violent multi-vehicle wreck on West Center Street in June. No further updates on Ava Mae Young's condition or on the Highway Patrol's ongoing investigation have been released.
