ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A South Carolina man faces felony charges following a wrong-way crash on Interstate 26 in Buncombe County that left a Leicester man dead and several others injured Thursday afternoon.
Bradley Vance Lanier, 54, of Taylors, South Carolina, was charged with felony death by vehicle, felony serious injury by vehicle, driving while impaired and reckless driving, according to Buncombe County jail records.
Published reports citing the North Carolina State Highway Patrol identified the man who died as Jimmy Lee Brooks of Leicester.
According to those reports, Lanier was driving a Tesla west in the eastbound lanes of I-26 near Exit 37 when the vehicle struck a Honda SUV head-on, then collided with a Honda passenger car near mile marker 36.5.
The driver and two passengers in the Honda passenger car were taken to Mission Hospital with serious injuries, the reports said. Brooks, one of the passengers, died at the hospital.
The conditions of the other two occupants were not immediately available.
The driver of the Honda SUV was taken to Mission Hospital with minor injuries and later released. Lanier was also treated for minor injuries before being released from the hospital and taken to the Buncombe County Detention Center, according to the reports.
Jail records show Lanier was arrested Thursday, Oct. 22, and was being held under a $5 million secured bond. A court appearance was scheduled for Friday, Oct. 23.
The crash, reported around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, shut down I-26 eastbound for about two hours and caused miles-long traffic backups.
The closure initially affected traffic near Exit 37 before being moved back to Exit 33, where drivers were directed onto Brevard Road, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.