Popular North Carolina brewery shuts down indefinitely after co-founder dies in an accident

A popular brewery in North Carolina shut down until further notice after one of the co-founders reportedly died in an accident.

The Wooden Robot Brewery in Charlotte closed both its taprooms in the city's South End and NoDa locations on Tuesday "until further notice," "due to unforeseen circumstances," the brewery said in an initial announcement around 4 p.m. on social media.

A few hours later, co-founder Josh Patton, in a separate post, said that the business had been shut down due to an accident that resulted in the death of Dan Wade, who is listed as one of the Wooden Robot’s co-founders and the director of operations on the brewery’s website.

"It is with an extremely sad and heavy heart that we share this news," wrote Patton on Facebook. "Due to an accident that occurred today, we lost one of our founders, co-owners, and friend, Dan."

Patton said they are "still in shock and need time to process everything," adding that they will keep their customers updated on their operations.

"Your thoughts and prayers for Dan’s family, his wife, and his son are much appreciated at this time," he added.

Investigation ongoing

A spokesperson for Mecklenburg EMS Agency, commonly known as Medic, told USA TODAY that Medic responded to a fall-related 911 call on Tuesday shortly after 1:30 p.m. at 1440 South Tryon Street, the brewery's South End location. One patient was pronounced deceased on the scene, said the spokesperson.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) said that the incident was listed as a public accident and that the department was only contacted to assist MEDIC.

The North Carolina Department of Labor, in a statement to USA TODAY, said that the police notified the state's Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Division of "an accident at that location".

"A compliance officer has been assigned to begin investigating the report," read the statement.

Condolences

Breweries in an around Charlotte expressed their shock over the tragic incident and offered condolences on Wade's demise.

"We are incredibly saddened and in complete disbelief with the loss of one of the greatest in the Charlotte brewing community," wrote Heist Brewery on Instagram. "We had the pleasure of working with Dan and the crew of Wooden Robot on multiple occasions, and every time was better than the last. He was a wealth of knowledge and an amazing person to be around."

"It’s a sad day for the Charlotte area brewing community," said Southern Range Brewing, a family-owned and operated craft brewery located in Monroe. "Our hearts break for the entire Wooden Robot family."

"Our community lost someone really special today," said Firehawk Brewpub.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.