Troopers say the Tesla driver, Bradley Lanier of Taylors, South Carolina, faces several charges and was held on a $5 million bond.
BUNCOMBE COUNTY, NC - October 23, 2026
Troopers with the North Carolina Highway Patrol say a Tesla driver from Taylors, South Carolina, now faces impaired driving charges after a head-on collision on Interstate 26 killed one passenger and injured several others.
Key Facts
- Date: Thursday, about 2:30 p.m. (first reported Friday, October 23, 2026)
- Location: I-26 east near mile marker 37, Buncombe County, North Carolina
- Type of crash: Wrong-way, head-on collision followed by a second collision
- Vehicles involved: A Tesla, a Honda SUV and a Honda passenger car
- Injuries / fatalities: One death; several people injured
- Responding agencies: North Carolina Highway Patrol
- Reported by: WYFF
Crash Overview
According to troopers, the Tesla entered the eastbound lanes of I-26 at exit 37 while traveling west. Near mile marker 37 in Buncombe County, it struck a Honda SUV head-on and then hit a Honda passenger car.
Mission Hospital received the SUV's driver and two passengers. One passenger, Jimmy Lee Brooks of Leicester, died at the hospital. The Tesla driver was also taken to Mission Hospital with minor injuries and was released.
The publisher's account describes the SUV driver's injuries in two different ways, first as serious and later as minor with release. The condition of some other injured people has not been reported. The reporting does not specify a cause beyond the charges described below.
People Involved
- Bradley Lanier, of Taylors, South Carolina (Tesla driver): Minor injuries, released.
- Honda SUV driver: Minor injuries, later released.
- Jimmy Lee Brooks, of Leicester (Honda SUV passenger): Died at the hospital.
- Other Honda SUV passengers: Reported to have serious injuries.