Last Updated on April 18, 2026 1:09 pm
Two people are dead following a multi-vehicle crash on U.S. 64 in Caldwell County late Friday night, and a 20-year-old Hickory man faces multiple felony charges.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded at approximately 10:46 p.m. Friday, April 17, to the collision at U.S. 64 at Union Baptist Road.
According to troopers, a 2018 Ford F-150 driven by Matthew Braden Frye, 20, of Hickory, was traveling east on U.S. 64 when it crossed the centerline and struck a 2006 Honda Civic. The F-150 then left the roadway and struck a guardrail and a utility pole. Frye fled the scene on foot. The Honda came to rest sideways in the roadway.
Shortly after the initial collision, a westbound 2015 Ford F-250 driven by Barrett Samuel Belk, 22, of Lenoir, struck the Honda where it had stopped in the road.
The driver of the Honda, Pink Grant Lackey, 78, of Lenoir, died at the scene. An 11-year-old juvenile passenger from Lenoir also died at the scene.
Frye was located in the woods nearby and taken into custody. He was not injured. Belk was also not injured.
Troopers determined that speed and impairment were contributing factors in the crash. Frye was charged with two counts of felony death by motor vehicle, driving while impaired, driving after consuming alcohol under the age of 21, and improper passing. Additional charges are pending following consultation with the District Attorney's Office.
U.S. 64 was closed for several hours while troopers conducted their on-scene investigation.
