A Lenoir man died at the scene and the driver of their SUV was hospitalized with serious injuries after a southbound Toyota Rav4 crossed the centerline, left the roadway and struck a tree on Calico Road near US 64 in Caldwell County on Sunday evening. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol says speed and impairment are suspected as contributing factors, and charges are pending against the driver.
According to WHKY, troopers responded to the crash on Calico Road near US 64 at approximately 6:30 p.m. Sunday. The 2020 Toyota Rav4 was heading south when it crossed the centerline, ran off the road, and collided with a tree, the outlet reported.
WHKY reported that the driver, 33-year-old Jesse Wayne Douglas of Lenoir, was transported by EMS to UNC Health Blue Ridge with serious injuries. The front-seat passenger died from injuries at the scene; WHKY gave his age as 28 and identified him as a Lenoir resident, though it used two different spellings of his first name.
Pending Charges and Suspected Factors
Both speed and impairment are suspected as contributing circumstances in the collision, the report states. Troopers said charges are pending against Douglas for felony death by motor vehicle, driving while impaired, reckless driving, and left of center.
Under North Carolina law, felony death by vehicle requires that a driver's impaired operation of a vehicle be the proximate cause of an unintentional death, according to North Carolina General Assembly statute, which classifies the offense as a Class D felony.
Pattern of Fatal Wrecks on Calico Road
Calico Road has seen other fatal crashes in recent years. In April 2024, 25-year-old David Patterson Jr. died after his vehicle left Calico Road, struck a tree, and overturned into a creek, with troopers believing he was impaired at the time, according to WSOC-TV.
In November 2024, the Highway Patrol responded to another fatal wreck on Calico Road near Townsend Farm Lane, when a 2008 Nissan Sentra lost control in rainy conditions and struck an embankment and a tree, as reported by the Journal Patriot. The driver, 22-year-old Alexis Makayla Russell of Lenoir, died at the scene and was not wearing a seatbelt; Master Trooper Christopher Casey attributed the crash to excessive speed for conditions.
A separate three-vehicle crash in the county killed a man and an 11-year-old child on a Friday night around 10:46 p.m. on US 64 at Union Baptist Road in Lenoir, according to WRAL. In that case, 20-year-old Matthew Frye of Hickory was charged with two counts of felony death by motor vehicle and driving while impaired, with the Highway Patrol again citing speed and impairment as contributing factors.
