CATAWBA COUNTY: Impaired Driving Crash Leaves Two Dead, Driver Now Before Magistrate
This morning, the tragic consequences of an alleged impaired driving incident are unfolding in a Catawba County courtroom. Braiden Edward Cole, 21, of Catawba, is now appearing before the magistrate, facing charges stemming from a horrific overnight crash that claimed two young lives. In a somber courtroom scene, Cole reportedly admitted to driving under the influence and expressed deep remorse for the devastation caused.
The crash occurred in the early hours of Thursday, July 17, at approximately 2:15 a.m., on Boggs Road near Hunsucker Drive, just outside Claremont. According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Cole was driving a 2013 Ford Fusion westbound on Boggs Road when he lost control of the vehicle. The car veered across the center line, ran off the left side of the road, overturned, and collided violently with several trees.
Cole survived the crash with minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. His front seat passenger, 53-year-old Donnie Wayne Wilson Jr. of Claremont, suffered serious injuries and was also hospitalized. However, the news turned heartbreakingly grim for the two backseat passengers — 19-year-old Savanah Averie Saine of Valdese and a juvenile female whose identity has not been publicly released. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities confirmed that neither of the backseat passengers was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Preliminary investigations indicate that impairment played a significant role in this deadly collision. As a result, Braiden Cole has been charged with driving while impaired and two counts of felony death by motor vehicle.
The Highway Patrol closed Boggs Road for several hours as they conducted a detailed on-scene investigation, piecing together the events that led to this devastating wreck.
Now, as Cole stands before the magistrate, his apology for what happened offers little comfort to grieving families and a shaken community. His appearance marks the beginning of a legal process that will determine his accountability for a night that ended in unimaginable tragedy.
Today’s story will be featured on Channel 9 Eyewitness News at Noon and Five, as more details emerge on this heartbreaking case.
This accident stands as yet another stark and painful reminder of the irreversible consequences of impaired driving. Two lives were lost. Families are shattered. And a community mourns — all because of a decision that never should have been made.