Teenage driver likely will be charged in accident that killed his brother

By Frank DeLoache

news@salisburypost.com

CONCORD — A teenage driver faces charges in the accident that killed his 17-year-old brother early Saturday morning.

Darius Lee Agnew, 16, of Concord, was driving with a revoked license when he lost control of a 2003 PT Cruiser on Zion Church Road near Webb Road at 3 a.m. Saturday, according to Concord Police Sgt. Tim Hartsell.

Agnew also was driving 70 mph hour in a 45-mph zone, said Hartsell, head of the Concord Traffic Safety Unit.

Investigators found no skid marks on the pavement, Hartsell said, indicating the young driver didn't hit his brakes until he reached the grass. But the grass was wet with dew and braking did little to stop the car, Hartsell said.

The PT Cruiser was traveling 55 mph when it hit a ditch culvert, and the impact launched the car into the air, Hartsell said this morning.

The car traveled 48 feet in the air and flipped, landing on its top before hitting a utility pole, Hartsell said.

Agnew's brother, Brandon Mitchell Agnew, 17, was a passenger in the back seat of the car.

Investigators believe Brandon Agnew was thrown from the car while it was in the air. Hartsell said the 17-year-old was thrown an additional 130 feet from where the car landed before striking a fence post.

Hartsell said the fence post was more like a utility pole in thickness, and the collision likely caused the fatal injuries.

Brandon Agnew died at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

Nicholas O'Brian Mitchell, 17, of Concord and a cousin of the Agnews, was the other passenger in the car. Mitchell and Darius Agnew were treated at Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast in Concord and released.

Hartsell said some charges are likely, and but the Cabarrus County District Attorney's Office will make the final decision. He expects investigators to present their findings to prosecutors this week.

Hartsell said alcohol was not involved in the accident.