A Belmont man faces charges related to a wreck that put a passenger in his car into a coma. According to police reports, James Franklin Gardner, 50, of 328 Canal Road, was charged with felony serious injury by vehicle and driving while impaired in the incident.
According to police records, Gardner was driving along Canal Road around 7:30 p.m. Sunday when he wrecked.
Gardner was driving a Nissan 350z convertible too fast around a curve when he ran off the right side of the road, overcorrected and ran off the left side, according to Highway Patrol Trooper David Ferguson.
The car ended up head first into a tree. Emergency crews had to cut trees down to tow the car away.
James Richard Gardner, a passenger in the car, was injured in the crash.
According to police reports, James Richard Gardner suffered closed head injuries, head trauma and brain injuries. Those injuries put him in a coma, police said.
James Franklin Gardner was booked into Gaston County Jail on a $25,000 secured bond Tuesday morning. He was released on bond approximately two hours later.
You can reach reporter Lauren Baheri at 704-869-1842 or Twitter.com/lbaheri.