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Driver who hit the children at the lemonade stand won't face charges; second driver cited, accused of causing the wreck, troopers say.

MORGANTON, N.C. — A driver was charged after a crash that critically injured three children who were selling lemonade in a Burke County neighborhood on Tuesday afternoon, North Carolina State Highway Patrol announced.

The crash occurred in a mobile home park on Conley Road in Morganton, where the children had set up their lemonade stand. The vehicle that struck them also hit a neighborhood signpost, leaving visible damage to the area.

"We thought all three of them were dead," Jessica Tallent, whose daughter was injured in the incident, said. "It's been very emotional. I was bawling my eyes out."

Two of the children were airlifted to a hospital in critical condition, while Tallent's daughter was treated and released home to recover. The driver who struck the children will not face charges, authorities said.

Instead, investigators cited a second driver, Haley Erin McCorkle, with a misdemeanor for failing to yield the right of way, saying that the driver's improper entry onto the road led to the crash. The preliminary investigation does not indicate that speed or impairment contributed to the crash.

Family members say they're leaning on their faith and trying to find understanding for what took place.

"Very traumatizing. It's very hard," David Denton, a family member of one of the injured children, said. "The parents shouldn't have to see nothing like that."

"Frustrated with the lady who hit my grandbaby, of course. I mean, it's a natural thing, but I've got calmed down and, you know, I've just prayed about it," Cheryl Fox, whose granddaughter was airlifted to the hospital, said.

The families have asked for continued prayer as the children recover from their injuries.

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MORGANTON, N.C. (WBTV) - State troopers charged a driver Tuesday for their role in a crash that sent a vehicle crashing into a roadside lemonade stand, injuring three little girls.

It happened Tuesday, June 10, along Conley Road near Highway 64 in Morganton, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

“It was traumatizing,” Jessica Tallent, whose daughter was injured, said. “I thought my daughter was dead. I thought all three of these girls were dead.”

Tallent’s daughter was released from the hospital later Tuesday.

The two other girls were taken by a helicopter to a hospital in critical condition, state troopers said. Their condition Tuesday night was unclear.

“The kids were just trying to have fun, summertime, trying to sell lemonade. To them money is something special to them,” David Denton, whose 7-year-old niece was seriously hurt, said. “Then you see the wreck. That’s what really gets to your head. It’s traumatizing, just really upsets you.”

Tire marks in the grass at the crash site show where the vehicle ran off the road, and directly into the girls’ lemonade stand. The crash also took out a sign.

Tallent said this incident should be a wake up call to drivers across the area.

“Watch where you’re going and I don’t care if you don’t see anything coming either way, look again, because this could have been so much farther worse than what it was,” Tallent said.

Witnesses said two vehicles were involved in the accident.

Troopers have charged one of the drivers with failure to yield the right of way causing serious bodily injury, according to North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

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The reopening of Ingles Market in Morganton has been delayed. A company official says a date for reopening is unknown.

Jonelle Sigmon, public information officer for the city of Morganton, said Ingles Markets has decided to stop construction until the company can get updated drawings to make the inside of the store more functional for customers.

Several feet of water flooded the grocery store on Carbon City Road as Hurricane Helene swept through western North Carolina on Sept. 27. After the hurricane, the store’s equipment, shelving and perishable food were removed, and the interior was emptied. The company planned to give the store a remodel before opening. The store was initially expected to open this spring.

Sigmon said the company told the city’s development and design department it is committed to reopening the Morganton store.

Pat Jackson, chief financial officer for Ingles Markets Inc., said the company is working with architects and contractors on restoring the store, and others, but due to many variables, no exact date for a reopening has been set as of late May.

Jackson said the company will likely hold a grand reopening when the Morganton store does reopen.

Ingles Market Inc. has suffered some revenue losses since flooding closed four of its locations.

Of the four Ingles Markets that were closed due to Helene, three remain closed but are expected to reopen this year, the company said in a release earlier this year.

In addition to the Morganton location, the Ingles Markets in Spruce Pine and Swannanoa remain closed, according to the company.

The company saw a net income of $31.7 million for the six-month period that ended March 29, compared to the $75.3 million for the six-month period that ended March 30, 2024, according to an Ingles Market release in early May.

The company said it estimates that about $55 to $65 million of revenue was lost during the three-week period immediately following the storm due to road and power outages, which prevented some stores from opening or maintaining normal store hours, as well as due to electronic payment disruptions as a result of Hurricane Helene. Ingles said that during the quarter that ended Dec. 28, it spent about $5.4 million in cleanup and repair costs as a result of Hurricane Helene.

In the first half of 2025, the company reported a net sales total of $2.62 billion, which was a decrease of 8% compared with $2.85 billion in the first half of fiscal year 2024.

Ingles' net income was $15.1 million for the second quarter of this fiscal year, compared with $31.9 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2024, the company reported.

Ingles' expenses have also increased.

The company reported its operating and administrative expenses for the second quarter of this fiscal year totaled $289.1 million, compared with $284.8 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2024.