Catawba Co. man thankful for his, daughter’s life after cable slams into car

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Last week, while driving his daughter to school in Catawba County, Brandon Bolick said the unthinkable happened.

“Out of nowhere comes a cable, and just slices right through my car,” Bolick said.

Dashcam video recorded by Bolick shows the moment the cable snapped after an 18-wheeler truck drove by in the opposite direction. Moments later, that cable slammed into Bolick’s car.

People living along Sherrills Ford Road said this is not the first time something like that has happened. WBTV was told before the incident with Bolick occurred, a similar situation happened when a tree service truck drove by that same area.

Bolick wants to see something done to make the area safer for drivers.

“I want my kid to be safe going to school. I want all of these kids that go to Sherrills Ford to be safe. If it’s spanning this far, it must be some rule for how low it can hang and not hit a vehicle,” said Bolick.

Bolick added the cable belonged to Brightspeed, a home internet company. WBTV reached out to the company to ask what’s being done to prevent future accidents like this from happening.

The company released this statement:

“We are aware of and apologize for the aerial cable break in Sherrills Ford. We immediately implemented a temporary solution in compliance with Department of Transportation standards, and we are working closely with local partners and the local power company to find a permanent resolution. We have requested taller permanent poles be installed and will continue to do everything in our power to provide the best possible support and service to the Sherrills Ford community.”

Bolick said he hopes his story will help bring forth a positive solution so that no one else will experience what he and his daughter went through.

“I’m very thankful that we’re not dead. If you look at the cable it’s very large and very heavy. If you look at the damage that it did to my car, I’m surprised. I’m really surprised that we made it out. We’re very lucky. And I don’t want that to happen to someone else and them to not be as lucky as we were,” Bolick said.

Officials with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the incident has happened twice with the same Brightspeed cable at the same location.

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