14-year-old bicyclist killed, teen charged with DWI in Holly Springs crash
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- Holly Springs police are investigating a multi-vehicle crash that killed a teen bicyclist.
- Officers found a bicycle, 2008 Honda Civic and 2021 Honda Passport at the scene.
- Two people sustained non-life-threatening injuries; the bicyclist died at the scene.
This story was updated Oct. 28, 2025.
A 16-year-old has been charged with driving while impaired in a weekend incident in Holly Springs in which a 14-year-old riding a bicycle was killed and two cars collided.
Police were called to Avent Ferry Road near Holly Meadow Drive at 1:40 a.m. Sunday. First responders found a bicycle, a 2021 Honda Passport and a 2008 Honda Civic were involved in a crash, according to a news release from the town of Holly Springs.
The bicyclist, Max Dunham, a student at Holly Springs Middle School, was hit by one of the vehicles and died at the scene, officials said.
Which vehicle struck the teen remains under investigation, a town spokesperson said. The Civic and Passport then collided head-on, according to the release.
Ashton Henry Rahlfs, who was driving the Passport with two passengers, was arrested early Sunday by Holly Springs police and later was released to his parents, officials said.
Rahlfs’ blood alcohol level was 0.11, over the legal limit of 0.08, according to court documents.
He was charged with driving after consuming under age 21, a license/permit violation while under age 18 and a level 2 passenger restriction, court records show. His provisional license will be revoked until at least Nov. 25, according to court documents.
Under the terms of his provisional license, Rahlfs was not allowed to drive after 9 p.m. without a supervising driver or with more than one passenger under age 21 in the vehicle, according to his arrest warrant.
He is scheduled to appear in court again Nov. 14.
The driver of the Civic and a passenger in the Passport were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Fundraiser for Civic driver
A Gofundme for the driver of the Civic, Brandon Russell of Fuquay-Varina, had raised more than $15,000 of its $50,000 goal as of Tuesday afternoon. Russell remains hospitalized in WakeMed Raleigh’s Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit with fractures to both arms and his right leg, severed ligaments below and above his right kneecap, and “deep bone contusions and abrasions” to multiple extremities, the fundraiser states.
The teen also suffered a collapsed lung, a broken rib and “severe trauma” to his kidneys, according to the Gofundme.
“His body is shattered but his faith remains intact,” Russell’s parents wrote in the fundraiser description.
The teen’s parents thanked first responders, who reportedly worked for over 30 minutes to extract Russell from his damaged vehicle, and a stranger known as “Mr. Tom” who prayed with Russell while he was trapped.
“Your act of compassion and kindness helped sustain Brandon’s faith that he would make it out of this alive,” the Russells wrote. “He was terrified and was praying to God to give him strength to get through this, and then you appeared.”
Police ask anyone with information regarding the crash, or the events leading up to it, to please contact the Traffic Investigations and Enforcement Unit at 919-577-3110.
This story was originally published October 26, 2025 at 12:52 PM.
