8-year-old boy declared brain dead after parents killed in crash in Garner, family says

A husband and wife were killed after a driver ran a red light at a Garner intersection Monday afternoon. Tragically, their young son did not make it either.

The 8-year-old critically injured in the Garner crash did not survive. His family said he was declared brain dead and will become an organ donor.

The crash happened just before 1:30 p.m. near the intersection of U.S. 70 and New Rand Road.

According to the Garner Police Department, a Chevy Trailblazer, driven by 25-year-old Jordan Alexander Porter, was traveling west on U.S. 70 and ran a red light, striking a blue Mazda CX5 Select and a black Cadillac Escalade at the intersection.

Porter, who was transported to the hospital with minor injuries, was charged with driving while impaired. According to Garner police, additional charges are expected.

Two adults in the Mazda identified as 28-year-old Tyler Campbell and 29-year-old Susan Campbell died from their injuries. Their 8-year-old son, Miles, was taken to WakeMed in critical condition and was declared brain dead on Tuesday, according to a family member.

The passengers in the Escalade were not injured.

Garner couple loved to travel, went to NC State

Tyler Campbell's sister told WRAL News the couple graduated from North Carolina State University and stayed in the Triangle after college. The couple and their son lived just about 2.5 miles from where the crash occurred, she said.

According to relatives, the family was adventurous and loved to travel.

Tyler Campbell, an Eagle Scout, ran marathons and 5Ks and had plans to run a marathon in Chicago next month, his sister said. Tyler worked at a software company while Susan worked as a nurse at WakeMed Cary.

His aunt said Miles is a Cub Scout, baseball player and martial arts student at Snap Kick Martial Arts.

Relatives shared this statement with WRAL News: "Miles is in critical condition, and they are telling us that his chances of survival are slim, but we are still praying for a miracle."

Their request is to "make sure people know how loved they were by all of their family."

Family members shared a photo of the couple at a NC State football game.

Garner Baseball Inc. held a vigil Tuesday at Lions Field, located at 417 W. Main St., writing:

"The Campbell family is part of the GBI family, as Miles played on the Trash Pandas in the Pinto league this season. We are absolutely heartbroken for the Campbell family and are praying and thinking about Miles and his team of doctors, the first responders, classmates, teammates, and friends as he battles for his life."

Baseball games will be delayed until 7 p.m. due to the vigil.

Snap Kick Martial Arts also posted about the family, writing, "Susan and Tyler were wonderful parents and cherished members of our community. Their unwavering support and kindness touched many of us, and their loss is profoundly felt by all who knew them."

Snap Kick Martial Arts held another vigil an hour later at 1411 Averasboro Road in Garner. Many family and friends stayed after the vigil ended to comfort one another.

On Monday afternoon, police closed the eastbound lanes of U.S. 70 between New Rand and Benson roads for hours.

One Cumberland County resident, who identified herself as "Donna," was shopping for mattresses in Garner with her husband and narrowly missed the accident.

"If I had been a few seconds earlier pulling out, it would have been me," she said.

Family members say Miles will become an organ donor.

Man charged in deadly crash has lengthy history of traffic offenses

A closer look at Porter shows he has a list of traffic offenses stretching back years, including a different crash from nearly seven years ago.

WRAL News discovered a lawsuit against Jordan Porter for a three-car crash in 2017. It was dropped, but he was accused of speeding, passing improperly and not being able to control the car.

Since 2015, Porter has had 12 violations levied against him. Nine were dismissed, including violations for hit & run, speeding and reckless driving. He was found responsible for two.

Porter has another case pending, for driving more than 20 miles per hour over the speed limit.

Scott Holmes is a law professor at North Carolina Central. Holmes said dismissed charges aren't necessarily absent from someone's record for future cases.

"Those kinds of charges really merit significant consideration because those have to do with public safety," Holmes said. "Judges have the flexibility to try to do justice in particular cases and give weight to whatever about the traffic record they deem is important in terms of trying to give a just sentence."

But we don't have answers about why Porter didn't receive punishment in a majority of these cases.

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman provided a statement on Porter's traffic record:

“Mr. Porter currently has been charged with multiple offenses in Wake County arising out of this tragic accident. Under rules that govern prosecutors, I cannot comment on this case nor would it be appropriate for me to characterize his past driving history at this time. In 2022 he was charged in Wake County with misdemeanor hit and run and larceny arising out of allegations that he was involved in a fender bender in a parking lot and when he and the other driver were on scene he removed the driver’s wallet from his vehicle. After multiple settings of that case, and after the victim had been subpoenaed to court, it appears from a review of the file that the case was dismissed when the court refused to continue it and when the victim had not appeared. One reason a case might end in dismissal is that witnesses do not come to court and the State is not able to move forward. As to other previous charges involving Mr. Porter, it would not be appropriate for me to conjecture as to why a case may be dismissed by a prosecutor in another district. Generally speaking, factors that are considered by prosecutors in deciding how to move forward with a case include the strength of evidence, the availability of witnesses, the prior record of the defendant and the risk to public safety.”