CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A video with more than 5 million views on social media platform X claims to show former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn in the aftermath of a rear-end collision he had with a Florida trooper.
The person who posted the video said Cawthorn was tailgating her Monday on Interstate 75 in south Florida, so she moved over a lane to let him pass. A few minutes later, the woman said she saw him pulled over on the shoulder after having rear-ended a state trooper down the road.
"I pulled over to the right shoulder lane and stopped to ask if everyone was OK and to offer assistance," @Women2Dc wrote. "I couldn't [sic] believe my eyes. It occurred [sic] to me that former CONGRESSMAN CAWTHORNE from NC was the black CAR that stormed by me in an angry road rage tantrum."
The WCNC Charlotte VERIFY team set out to confirm as much as possible about the X post.
THE QUESTION
Did a crash happen as this X user described?
THE ANSWER
WHAT WE FOUND
The person wrote the video was from Monday, April 15, around 4:30 p.m., on I-75 near the Big Cypress Reservation in south Florida.
WCNC Charlotte reached out to Florida Highway Patrol, which told us there was a crash at the same date, time and location the X user described.
FHP stated the crash reported did involve one of its troopers, whose vehicle was struck from behind by another driver.
That trooper went to the hospital with minor injuries, according to a statement from the law enforcement agency.
Troopers also said the crash happened in a construction zone, which does align with what the video on X shows. The video shows a construction truck carrying orange cones and orange cones near the lanes near the crash scene.
THE QUESTION
Was the driver of the car that hit the trooper former Rep. Madison Cawthorn?
THE ANSWER
WHAT WE FOUND
FHP said because of protocols and state privacy laws, it does not release the names of people involved in crashes until the final crash report is done, which can take several days.
Until then, troopers could only describe the driver at fault as a 28-year-old man from Cape Coral, Florida. They said the driver got a citation for failing to follow the Move Over Law.
The man on the side of the road in the video resembles Cawthorn, who is 28, and Lee County, Florida, property records show he owns a home in Cape Coral. Court records posted Thursday show Cawthorn received a traffic citation for violating Florida's Move Over Law; however, the online records do not specifically show details of the incident that prompted the citation.
Still, without identification from authorities, the VERIFY team is unable to confirm with 100% certainty he was the driver.
Per Florida law and FHP protocol, WCNC Charlotte has formally requested the report for Monday's rear-end crash in Collier County, and troopers said it could take up to 10 days to get that information.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information comes in.
Contact Vanessa Ruffes at vruffes@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
VERIFY is dedicated to helping the public distinguish between true and false information. The VERIFY team, with help from questions submitted by the audience, tracks the spread of stories or claims that need clarification or correction. Have something you want VERIFIED? Text us at 704-329-3600 or visit VERIFY.
WCNC Charlotte's Verify series is all about trying to make a difference in the Carolinas by making sure the community has the correct information. WCNC Charlotte outlines concisely what we know and what we don't know. Sometimes the answer can be surprising. Watch previous stories where we verify social media claims in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.