A single-vehicle crash across the street from the Asheville High School campus claimed the life of the driver on Oct. 14.
The Asheville Police Department announced that Arden resident Phillip Douglas Penland, 74, died after being taken to Mission Hospital following the crash. Penland had been driving south on McDowell Street around 10:14 a.m. when he suffered an unspecified medical emergency and lost control of his SUV, according to a police report.
Penland passed through the parking lot of Little Pigs BBQ before rolling over on Doctors Drive. No other vehicles or pedestrians were involved in the collision; besides his vehicle, the only property damage was to a city of Asheville “No Parking” sign.
According to APD spokesperson Rick Rice, Penland’s
death is the city’s 15th motor vehicle fatality of the year. Other Asheville motorist deaths to take place in 2026 include Subastion James Samuel Cruz-Galyon on July 1, and Kathy King Dalton on April 29.
Rice said the APD continues to investigate the crash. The department encourages anyone with information on the incident to reach out via phone at 828-252-1110, texting TIP2APD to 847411, or the TIP2APD smartphone app.
Daniel Walton is the City Government Watchdog Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at dwalton@citizentimes.com, and connect with him on social media through Facebook, Instagram, or Reddit.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Driver dies in single-vehicle crash near Asheville High School
