Newton– On Thursday, July 17, at approximately 10:00 p.m., the NC State Highway Patrol responded to and investigated a fatal collision in Catawba County on Whitener Road near Yoder Farm Road. A 2011 Hyundai Sonata traveling north on Whitener Road drove off the right side of the road and struck a tree.
The driver, Christopher Reid Carter, 51, of Newton, succumbed to his injuries at the scene. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
The preliminary investigation indicates that excessive speed was a contributing factor in the collision. During the on-scene investigation, the roadway was closed in the area for approximately one hour.