04-03-2025
Crash injures 1, damages several power poles in Asheville
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WSPA) – Police are investigating an early morning crash that left a pedestrian critically injured and significant property damage to several power poles in west Asheville.
The Asheville Police Department said officers responded to a single vehicle crash with injuries in the 600 block of Haywood Road just after 1 a.m. Tuesday.
According to reports, early investigation of the scene suggests a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder was traveling east on Haywood Road at a high rate of speed when it left the roadway and hit a power pole. Police said the vehicle continued driving and struck a pedestrian on the sidewalk before driving through another power pole, swerving left off the other side of the road and taking out a bike rack and the bus stop in front of Ingles.
The pedestrian was taken to Mission Hospital with significant injuries and remains in critical condition, according the reports.
The Asheville Police Department said the driver of the vehicle, 34-year-old Max Clayton Howard Mackin, was found to be impaired at the scene. He was taken into custody and charged with the following:
Driving while impaired
Felony possession of schedule II
Felony possession of controlled substance in secured facility
Failure to maintain lane
Failure to wear a seatbelt
Mackin was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Facility where he was given no bond by a magistrate due to the Pretrial Integrity Act.
The police department said Duke Energy is actively working to restore power to traffic lights on Haywood Road, but that traffic is flowing without delay.
More charges on Mackin are expected as the investigation continues. If you have any information regarding this incident, contact APD at (828) 252-1110. You can also send an anonymous tip by texting TIP2APD to 847411 or through the mobile app.
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