NC Auditor Beth Wood paid nearly $8,000 in damages for hit-and-run
The North Carolina Department of Administration has confirmed that State Auditor Beth Wood personally paid the damages associated with her December hit-and-run, which totaled nearly $8,000.
A spokesperson for the DOA, Julia Hegele, previously told The News & Observer that the cost of towing Wood’s vehicle from the scene of the crash and repairing it was $7,707.03. Hegele confirmed Tuesday that Wood has now paid the same amount out of her own pocket.
Speaking to reporters outside a committee meeting at the state Legislative Building Tuesday, Wood apologized for the incident.
“I would just say that if I could go back and change my decision that night it would be different, but all I can do moving forward is take responsibility for the accident and fix what was broken,” Wood said.
Asked for a response to calls from the North Carolina Republican Party for her to resign, Wood said “absolutely not.”
“That accident does not define me, nor does it take away from the phenomenal work we’ve done in my administration,” she said.
Wood’s next court date is scheduled for March 23.
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 5:27 PM.
