The Albemarle community is grieving the heartbreaking loss of Stella Redfearn Dase, a 60-year-old Stanly County Public Transportation bus driver whose life was tragically taken in a devastating multi-vehicle collision on the morning of Wednesday, July 29, 2026. The fatal crash occurred at approximately 6:45 a.m. on U.S. Highway 52 at Salisbury Avenue, where emergency responders, law enforcement officers, and rescue personnel rushed to the scene after receiving reports of a serious traffic accident.

According to investigators, Stella was driving a Stanly County Public Transportation bus northbound alongside a Ford pickup truck when a southbound Jeep struck an object that had fallen onto the roadway. The impact caused the Jeep’s driver to lose control, sending the vehicle across the center line into the northbound lanes, where it collided head-on with the bus Stella was operating. Moments later, the Ford pickup struck the rear of the bus, creating a devastating chain-reaction crash.

Despite the immediate response of emergency personnel, Stella Redfearn Dase was sadly pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the Jeep sustained serious injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Authorities later located the vehicle from which the object had fallen, and Dustin Kendall, 37, of New London, was charged with Failure to Secure Load and Expired Registration in connection with the incident.

For Stella’s family, friends, coworkers, and the countless passengers whose lives she touched over the years, the tragedy has left an unimaginable void. What began as an ordinary morning quickly became one of the darkest days the community has experienced, forever changing the lives of those who loved and depended on her.