ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — One person was charged after a vehicle hit a pedestrian along Haywood Road in West Asheville early Tuesday morning.
Asheville police said officers responded to a report of a motor vehicle collision with injuries in the 600 block of Haywood Road around 1:06 a.m. The preliminary investigation indicates Max Clayton Howard Mackin, 34, was traveling east on Haywood Road at a high rate of speed in a Nissan Pathfinder when it left the roadway, hit a power pole before hitting a pedestrian on the sidewalk, police said in a news release. The Pathfinder then drove through another power pole before swerving to the left, going off the road, taking out a bike rack and crashing into the bus stop in front of Ingles.
The pedestrian sustained significant injuries and is in Mission Hospital in critical condition, police said.
Because of the significant damage to the power poles, traffic lights on Haywood Road are inoperable. Duke Energy is actively working to restore power. According to the utility company’s outage map, power is expected to be restored about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Traffic is currently flowing without delay. ART Transit is operating as usual at the stop.
Police said Mackin was found to be impaired at the scene and was taken into custody without incident. He is charged with the following:
- Driving while impaired
- Felony possession of Schedule II
- Felony possession of controlled substance in secured facility
- Failure to maintain lane
- Failure to wear a seatbelt
Mackin was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Facility under NO BOND (ineligible for release) by a magistrate because of the Pretrial Integrity Act.
Police said the investigation is still underway and additional charges are expected. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact APD at 828-252-1110. Anonymous tips may also be submitted by using the TIP2APD smartphone application (search “Asheville PD” in your app store) or by texting TIP2APD to 847411.