Two people tragically lost their lives early on July 17 in a crash in Catawba County. Among the deceased is 19-year-old Savanah Averie Saine of Valdese, along with a juvenile female whose identity remains undisclosed.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded around 2:15 a.m. to Boggs Road near Hunsucker Drive after a 2013 Ford Fusion traveling west lost control. The vehicle crossed the center line, veered off the road, overturned, and struck several trees.
The driver, 21-year-old Braiden Edward Cole of Catawba, was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. The front seat passenger, a Claremont resident, sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized. The two backseat passengers, including Saine and the juvenile female, died at the scene. Neither backseat occupant was wearing a seatbelt.
Preliminary findings suggest impairment played a role in the crash. Cole was charged with driving while impaired and two counts of felony death by motor vehicle. He remains held at the Catawba County Detention Center on a $400,000 bond. A court date is set for July 18.
Boggs Road was closed for several hours during the investigation.
