Asheville Student Charged in I-40 Wreck: 2 Teens Dead, 2 in ICU

Christ School Student Faces Charges Following Fatal Accident

ASHEVILLE — A varsity football player from Christ School, an all-boys boarding and day school in Asheville, has been charged following a fatal accident on Interstate 40 late night on April 6 that killed two teenagers and sent two others to the intensive care unit.

William Neumann, 18, of Augusta, Georgia, turned himself in on April 8 and was charged with two counts of misdemeanor death by vehicle and one count of reckless driving to endanger, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Citizen Times.

Neumann is listed on Christ School’s website as a student on the school’s varsity football roster. His arrest warrant states Neumann “unlawfully and willfully” drove a vehicle on I-40 East, “speeding over 100 mph without due caution.” This violation was the “proximate cause of death” of two people, Robert Fox and Sophie Gordon, the warrant said.

Fatal Crash on I-40

N.C. State Highway Patrol responded to the fatal crash on the off-ramp of Exit 53B on I-40 near Asheville at about 11:31 p.m. April 6, Sgt. Christopher Knox told the Citizen Times on April 9. A 2015 Volvo passenger car was traveling east on I-40 when the driver, identified as Neumann, attempted to exit the highway using the off-ramp, according to the highway patrol.

“The vehicle was traveling too fast to safely negotiate the off-ramp and lost control, ran off the left side of the roadway and struck a tree,” Knox said.

Victims and Injuries

Robert Fox, 19, of Wilmette, Illinois, and Sophie Gordon, 16, of Charlotte, were rear passengers in the vehicle and died in the accident. Neumann and the front passenger, Hunter Sanford, 18, of Pineville, were transported to Mission Hospital with minor injuries.

Two other teens, Abby Lynn Robinson, 17, of Charlotte, and Isabella Tarantelli, 18, of Charlotte, were rear passengers in the car and were transported to Mission Hospital in critical condition following the crash. Both are students at Charlotte Catholic High School, according to a social media post from the school.

The post at 12:09 p.m. April 7 asked for prayers, saying that Robinson and Tarantelli “are currently in ICU at Mission Hospital in Asheville after a serious car accident.” An updated post from the school on April 8 stated that both teens “had a good night last night,” and thanked the doctors and nurses at Mission Hospital. Students at the high school held a prayer service for the teens the evening of April 7.

Legal Consequences

Neumann is being held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility under a $25,000 bond, according to an online jail database. His first appearance in court was April 9, according to the clerk’s office.

This story will be updated.

Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

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