On Friday, April 19, at approximately 10:50 p.m., the NC State Highway Patrol responded to and investigated a fatal collision in Caldwell County on US 321 near Mission Road. A 2014 Mazda 6 traveling south on US 321 drove off the right side of the road, struck a digital message board, and the guardrail, and then overturned.
The driver of the Mazda, Jesse Marie Bruce, 30, of Lenoir, was critically injured and transported by medical helicopter to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, where she succumbed to her injuries on April 22.
Bruce was not restrained by a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. The initial investigation indicates speed and alcohol were contributing circumstances in the collision. During the on-scene investigation, the roadway was closed in the area for approximately two hours.
