A Sparta man, who was a seventh-grade teacher at Central Wilkes Middle School, was killed after the driver of another vehicle hit a deer, lost control of his pickup and crashed head-on with his pickup truck on Tuesday morning.
30-year old Joseph Brenden Edwards died at the scene of the crash on NC Highway 18 in Alleghany County . He was in his first year of teaching at Central Wilkes Middle School, according according to the school’s website.
According the NC Highway Patrol “On Tuesday, November 1, at approximately 6:45 a.m., the N..C State Highway Patrol responded to and investigated a fatal collision in Alleghany County on N.C. 18 near N.C. 88. A 2016 Ford F150 was traveling north on N.C. 18, struck a deer in the roadway, lost control, crossed the centerline, and collided head-on with a southbound 2011 Ford Ranger.”
“The driver of the F150, Ethan Todd, 26, of Laurel Springs, received non-life-threatening injuries and was transported by EMS to Ashe Memorial Hospital in Jefferson. The driver of the Ranger, Joseph Brenden Edwards, 30, of Sparta, succumbed to his injuries at the scene. Both drivers were restrained by seatbelts. The initial investigation does not indicate impairment to be a contributing factor.”
The roadway was closed for over two hours.