Mother of Smithfield-Selma High School Graduate Wade Swain, 17, Heads to Charlotte Mediation Seeking Justice for Son’s Death

The Smithfield-Selma High School community in Johnston County, North Carolina, is grieving the loss of Wade Talley Swain, a 17-year-old recent graduate who was killed in a car accident on August 3, 2024.

Wade, who was born on August 22, 2006, in Cary, North Carolina, had just graduated from Smithfield-Selma High School and was preparing to begin his college journey at Wingate University, where he planned to pursue a career in Physical Therapy.

Students, staff, and parents gathered at the school’s baseball field over the weekend following his death to mourn together and honor the young man who had left such a deep impression on those around him.

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The school described Wade in a newsletter as a passionate student and a beloved member of the baseball program. He wore jersey number 21 and made history as the first-ever captain of the Spartans baseball team, a distinction that spoke volumes about the kind of person he was.

Wade spent his entire life in Johnston County, starting at Cooper Elementary before moving on to Smithfield-Selma High School, where he enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program. His family, though rooted in Carteret County, built their life in Johnston County, and Wade grew up deeply connected to both his school and his teammates.

One of his fellow baseball players shared that Wade’s death marked the third classmate he had lost in the same year, a devastating reality for the young community. In January 2024, WRAL News had already reported on a vigil held at the school honoring four other students killed in a crash near Interstate 95.

Wade is survived by his mother, Susan Talley Swain; his father, Gary Swain Jr.; his brother, Dylan Swain; his maternal grandmother, Judy Talley; and his paternal grandparents, Kay and Gary Swain Sr., along with many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

A gathering for family and friends took place on August 10, 2024, at the family home in Stella, North Carolina. A celebration of life followed on August 13 at the Smithfield-Selma High School baseball field, with attendees asked to wear Spartan gear in Wade’s honor.

His mother, Susan Talley Swain, has shared publicly that the family is pursuing legal action related to his death. In a recent post, she revealed that the family was traveling to Charlotte for mediation with the defendants, and that if no settlement is reached, the case is expected to go to trial in October.

She expressed the unbearable weight of navigating the legal process while grieving her son, writing that there is no heartbreak like losing a child and that negligence is never acceptable.

Instead of flowers, Wade’s family has asked that donations be made to the Smithfield-Selma High School baseball program in his memory, a fitting tribute to the sport he loved and the team he led. Donations can be made through the Wade Swain Memorial Fund. Arrangements were handled by Munden Funeral Home and Crematory in Morehead City, North Carolina.