CONNELLY SPRINGS, NC : Two boys involved in a fatal four-wheeler crash on Saturday, July 22, 2017

The names of the two boys involved in a fatal four-wheeler crash Saturday have been released, and the driver of the SUV that struck them has been charged with seven offenses.

Jacob Wright, 14, was killed and his friend Logan Duran, 13, was critically injured while riding a four-wheeler Saturday after Steve Edward Carroll, 61, of Baptist Camp Road, Connelly Springs, struck them around 2 p.m., said Trooper Lane with N.C. Highway Patrol.

Carroll was charged with driving while impaired after admitting to taking oxycodone and Klonopin that he claimed was prescribed to him, Lane said. He was also charged with having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle, a Mitsubishi SUV.

Wright was pronounced dead at the scene on Baptist Camp Road, and Duran was transported by helicopter to a Charlotte hospital, said Sgt. Sanders.

Carroll was also charged for having his 3-year-old granddaughter restrained in the front seat of the SUV, which rolled over multiple times during the crash. The girl was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, and Carroll was charged with misdemeanor child abuse, Lane said.

Wright appears to have pulled out of his grandparents' driveway on Baptist Camp Road when the four-wheeler was struck, Lane said. Neither of the boys was wearing a helmet.

Lane said the boys likely did not look to see if any cars were coming when they pulled out of the driveway because the road is so lightly traveled. The crash happened on a straight section of the road where Wright likely had “several hundred feet” of sight distance, he said.

It is currently unclear why the boys were entering the roadway, but Sanders said it is illegal to drive a four-wheeler on the road. The boys had been driving on the road prior to the crash and appear to have stopped at Wright’s grandparents’ house, Lane said.

There is tall grass near the driveway that may have caused Wright’s vision to be obstructed, Lane said.

Although Carroll has been charged with DWI, Wright is technically at fault for the crash, Lane said. Carroll swerved just prior to impact in an attempt to miss the four-wheeler, he said.

However, because Carroll should not have been driving in the first place, he will share the responsibility, Lane said.

Because the crash happened in an area of the county where no speed limit was posted, the speed limit was 55 mph. Sanders said he believes Carroll was traveling at about this speed when the crash occurred.

The impact caused front-end damage to the SUV, and Carroll was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Sanders said. His blood was also drawn at the hospital to test for alcohol and drug use, Lane said.

Carroll had a previous DWI conviction, along with convictions for driving on revoked license, drug possession and habitual misdemeanor assault, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety website.

Sanders said he believes the boys were students in the Burke County Public Schools system. Five students in the school system have already died since last fall, Superintendent Larry Putnam said last week.

"It's not easy with any (victim) but the younger they are, the hardest it gets," Sanders said.

Lane said he believes Carroll and Duran have a “distant relation,” but is unsure exactly how they are related.

Wright’s mother and father arrived at the scene of the crash shortly after it happened, Lane said. Multiple members of the family live on Baptist Camp Road, he said.

The Burke County Sheriff's Office, Burke County EMS and the South Mountains Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the scene, Sanders said.

Carroll was also charged with driving with a revoked license, not having insurance on his vehicle and having a fictitious tag.

Carroll was given a $12,500 bond, Lane said. Further charges are pending after the district attorney reviews the case.

Source :
Victims of fatal four-wheeler crash identified