A tragic accident occurred in Eden, North Carolina, leaving four linemen dead and two others critically injured.
What happened: On Thursday, around 1:30 p.m., 66-year-old Michael Ray Vernon was driving a city dump truck and failed to stop at a sign, hitting six workers fixing power lines at Carroll and Church Street intersections.
- The dump truck then collided with a bucket truck and veered into a ditch.
- Four linemen died on site, while two others were critically injured and airlifted to the hospital.
- One person in the bucket truck sustained minor injuries.
Driver's status: Vernon suffered minor injuries. He was charged with a stop sign violation and misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. Investigators believe he wasn't impaired during the incident, reported WTVM.
Company response: Duke Energy expressed deep sorrow and conveyed their condolences to the affected families and colleagues. "The safety of our employees, contractors, and customers is our top priority," they stated while cooperating with law enforcement.
The investigation into the accident is continuing. No further details about the affected linemen's conditions have been released.