A 12-year-old girl was struck and killed while lying in the northbound lane of Ayden Golf Club Road near Highway 102 in the predawn hours Sunday, according to troopers cited in reporting on the crash. The girl died at the scene after a pickup truck traveling north on the road struck her, based on a preliminary investigation.
According to witn.com, the pickup hit the girl around 4:50 a.m. Sunday as she lay in the northbound travel lane. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol, meanwhile, said it responded to the scene about 4:48 a.m. after a call about a crash involving a pedestrian, per reflector.com. The collision remains under investigation, and the girl's identity has not been released in available reporting.
Conflicting Word on Potential Charges
Accounts of what comes next for the driver differ slightly. Witn.com reported that troopers said the truck driver will not face any charges, while WCTI reported that charges are not anticipated against the driver. Both outlets attribute their versions to law enforcement sources, though the exact wording used by investigators was not uniform across the reports.
The vehicle was traveling north on Ayden Golf Club Road when it struck her, according to the preliminary investigation cited by WCTI.
School Announces a Student's Death
Separately, Ayden Middle School Principal Jeremiah Miller announced on the school's Facebook page Monday, November 2, that a sixth-grade student had died in an accident the morning of Nov. 1, the day before. It has not been confirmed whether the Ayden Middle School student is the same pedestrian killed in the crash, reflector.com reported.
The principal told families that support was being made available for students processing the loss. “We have counselors available for any student who may need or want help,” the principal said, according to the same reflector.com report.
A County With a Rising Death Toll
The crash adds to what has already been a difficult year on Pitt County roads. At least 34 people died in crashes on Pitt County roadways in 2025, up from 27 in 2024, according to reflector.com's review of local crash data. The outlet reported that 34 people also died in 2023, compared with 25 fatalities in 2022 and 30 in 2021.
Among those killed in Pitt County crashes in 2025 were four teenagers, nine people over 65 and two pedestrians, the same reflector.com analysis found. Two of last year's pedestrian deaths included Charles Oliver Foreman, 65, who was struck crossing Southwest Greenville Boulevard near Hooker Road in February 2025, and Antonio McCarter, 43, who was struck by a truck crossing Arlington Boulevard near East Fire Tower Road in November 2025 and later died at ECU Health Medical Center. The outlet also noted that 13 of the fatal wrecks it examined, including Foreman's death, were not immediately reported by law enforcement.
