Car slams into lemonade stand, critically injuring three girls, NC troopers say

Three girls were critically hurt when a Nissan ran off the road and slammed directly into their front yard lemonade stand, according to the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

It happened around 1:20 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, near the intersection of Conley and Arthur Mull roads near Morganton, the Highway Patrol said in a June 11 news release.

The girls are ages 7, 8 and 9, officials said. Their identities and specifics about their injuries have not been released.

“A 2007 Chevrolet HHR was attempting to turn left from a public driveway and pulled into the path of a 2017 Nissan Altima traveling north on Conley Road,” Master Trooper Christopher Casey reported in the release.

“This collision caused the Nissan to drive off the right side of the roadway and collide with three children. The three female children, who had set up a lemonade stand in the front yard ... were transported to area hospitals in critical condition.”

The drivers were not injured, he said.

Video recorded at the scene by WSOC shows the lemonade stand was flattened, and the vehicle came to rest in a front yard with damage to its front and back ends.

The driver who collided with the lemonade stand has not been charged, officials said.

The 24-year-old Hickory woman who was driving the Chevrolet HHR was cited for “failure to yield right of way causing serious bodily injury,” officials said.

The Nissan driver was identified as a 29-year-old woman from Forest City, officials said.

“The initial investigation does not indicate impairment or speed as contributing factors,” the Highway Patrol said.

Jessica Tallent, who identified herself as the mother of one of the girls, said she initially thought her daughter was killed, WCNC reported. “We thought all three of them were dead,” Tallent told the station. “I was bawling my eyes out.”

Her daughter’s injuries were not as serious as the other girls, and the child is currently recovering at home, the station said.

Morganton is about a 75-mile drive northwest from Charlotte.

This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 12:02 PM.