Four Whiteville High School students involved in fatal crash

Crash occurred near Historic Legion Stadium off Sunset Terrace

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The NC Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash involving four students from Whiteville High School.

It happened Friday near Chadbourn Highway and Sunset Terrace, not far from Legion Memorial Stadium.

According to sources at Whiteville High, one teen was killed, and two others are in critical condition. A fourth teen also has serious injuries. The students are all athletes at Whiteville High.

At the hospital, a family member confirmed to WWAY that student Kaiden Powell died in the crash.

Dozens of people gathered at the hospital when news of the crash spread throughout the community, including Whiteville football coach J.P. Price.

“Kaiden was a hard worker. Very good in school; extremely hard worker in the weight room,” said Price. “He’d always come up to you when he got new numbers in the weight room.”

“He never seemed to be down about anything; he was just a joy to be around all the time,” Price added. “We love Kaiden, his family; we’re going to miss him dearly, and we’re going to do everything we can this year to remember the type of kid that he was and wanted to be.”

Outgoing principal Ronna Gore shared a statement with WWAY that says:

“As we mourn the profound loss of one of our own and pray for those with injuries we continue to support all families and friends during this incredibly difficult time!  We recognize that this news may deeply impact our students, faculty and staff and we are committed to providing our support as they grieve this heartbreaking loss! We are profoundly grateful for the outpouring of support from our community during this time!”