Four men died and two were injured when a truck hit a utility type truck mounted work platform/bucket truck after having run into linemen working below in the town of Eden, North Carolina – north of Greensboro on the Virginia border. The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon April 24th.
The state Highway Patrol said that the driver of a truck owned by the town, Ray Vernon, 66, who was also injured ran a stop sign at speed, and ploughed into six people, five working for Duke Energy and sub-contractor Carolina power along with a third party inspector. Three lineman and the inspector were declared dead at the scene, while two men were airlifted to hospital with serious injuries, including one who was thrown from the truck mounted utility platform. One of the men remains on the critical list while the other is now stable.
Those who died have been named as: Douglas Garland Sides, 72, Madison Carter, 32, William Evans, 35 and Matthew Lockwood, 30.
The truck driver, Ray Vernon suffered minor injuries and has been charged with a stop sign violation and misdemeanour death by motor vehicle. Impairment is not believed to be a factor. The city of Eden also confirmed that Vernon had been placed on administrative leave. The crash remains under investigation.
The scene sometime after the incident occurred
Duke Energy said: "We are saddened about the tragic event that happened today, and our hearts go out to the families and teammates of those involved. The safety of our employees, contractors and customers is the highest priority at Duke Energy. We are working closely with law enforcement officials."
Carolina Power and Signalisation also issued a statement which said: "Yesterday, a Carolina Power crew working on an electric distribution project in North Carolina experienced a tragic event. A large truck, owned by the city of Eden, entered a work zone striking six employees, as well as a third party inspector. This resulted in four fatalities (three Carolina Power employees and the contract inspector). The two additional Carolina Power employees remain hospitalised with life-threatening injuries. According to various news reports, the driver of the city truck was charged with running a stop sign and misdemeanour death by motor vehicle. The North Carolina Highway Patrol is leading the investigation of the incident. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims, colleagues, and family members impacted by this horrific event."
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