Asheville -- October 25, 2026: A South Carolina motorist faces multiple felony offenses and is being held under a $5 million bond following a fatal wrong-way crash Thursday afternoon that shut down Interstate 26 East for hours.
The collision was reported around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, along I-26 East near Exit 37 (Long Shoals Road) and mile marker 36.5.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, 54-year-old Bradley Vance Lanier, of Taylors, South Carolina, was driving a Tesla heading westbound in the eastbound travel lanes. Troopers said Lanier’s vehicle struck a Honda SUV head-on before crashing into an oncoming Honda passenger car.
Jimmy Lee Brooks, of Leicester, North Carolina, a passenger inside the Honda car, sustained critical injuries and was transported to Mission Hospital in Asheville, where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the car and a second passenger were also taken to Mission Hospital with serious injuries.
The driver of the Honda SUV was evaluated and treated for minor injuries before being released.
Lanier received medical treatment for minor injuries at the hospital before being released into law enforcement custody. Troopers arrested Lanier and transported him to the Buncombe County Detention Center.
State Highway Patrol investigators have charged Lanier with:
Felony death by vehicle
Felony serious injury by vehicle
Driving while impaired
Reckless driving
A Buncombe County judicial official set Lanier’s bond at $5 million secured.
The crash forced the closure of eastbound I-26 for roughly two hours, stalling commuter traffic for several miles. North Carolina Department of Transportation crews diverted traffic away from the scene at Exit 33 onto Brevard Road while emergency responders cleared the wreckage and troopers conducted their preliminary investigation.