Editor's note: This article has been updated
By: Susie C. Spear
Source: News & Record, Greensboro, N.C. (TNS)
EDEN — The driver of the city dump truck who on April 24 struck and killed four utility workmen and injured three others has been charged with operating a commercial vehicle without a valid commercial driver’s license, or CDL, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the lead agency investigating the accident.
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Authorities have not yet provided details about why driver Michael Ray Vernon’s CDL was invalid or when his last CDL was issued. Most North Carolina-issued CDLs are valid for five years and qualify drivers to operate vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 26,001 pounds or vehicles carrying hazardous material or more than 16 people, according to federal law.
Vernon, 66, an employee of the city of Eden and longtime community firefighter, was driving a city-owned truck when he ran a stop sign and collided with linemen standing near the intersection where Church Street, Carroll Street and Park Road come together at around 1:30 p.m. on April 24, investigators have said.
Vernon’s truck went on to collide with an occupied bucket truck before crashing in a nearby ditch, officials said.
Investigators with the NCSHP have said Vernon, who sustained minor injuries during the crash, suffered an apparent medical emergency during the incident and that authorities do not believe impairment to be a factor in the crash.
Thus far, no investigators from the NCSHP have disclosed the type of medical emergency Vernon may have sustained. Vernon’s wife, Laura Vernon, has told media that the driver suffered memory loss related to the crash.
Vernon, who was formally charged before a Rockingham County magistrate on Wednesday, also faces four counts of misdemeanor death by vehicle, as well as a stop sign violation in connection with the fatal accident that claimed the lives of linemen, all employees of Carolina Power and Signalization, a Fayetteville-based utility company. They were: Matthew Lockwood, 30, of Winston-Salem; Douglas Garland Sides, 72, of Summerfield; Madison Carter, 42, of Sandy Ridge; and William Evans, 35, of Randleman.
Cody Rich, a 31-year-old from Reidsville who was sitting in a bucket truck when Vernon’s truck crashed into the rig, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Two other workers, 24-year-old Reidsville resident Hunter Carter and 34-year-old Eden resident Kevin Alexander, were struck by Vernon’s truck and were taken to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital for care.
Vernon, who met investigators at the magistrate’s office to hear his charges, was issued a $50,000 unsecured bond, according to the NCSHP.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board, who arrived in Eden over the weekend to examine the crash site and interview witnesses and survivors of the ordeal, have not disclosed details about any medical issues Vernon may have faced while driving or the status of his CDL.
A report of the NTSB investigation’s preliminary findings should be available within 30 days, an agency spokesperson said on Wednesday.
© 2025 the News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.).
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By: Jim Sands
Source: News & Record, Greensboro, N.C. (TNS)
Six employees of Carolina Power and Signalization were struck on the side of the road by a City of Eden 2016 Hino dump-truck driven by 66-year-old Michael Ray Vernon of Eden when the vehicle he was driving ran past a stop sign near the intersection of Carroll and Church Street, then plowed into the men in the Spray section of town at approximately 1:23 p.m. on Thursday, April 24 authorities said.
Four men working on power lines died on the scene and two suffered serious life-threatening injuries and were air-lifted to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem.
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The four deceased have been identified as Douglas Garland Sides of Summerfield, age 72, Madison Carter, 42 of Sandy Ridge, William Evans of Randleman, 35, and Matthew Lockwood of Winston Salem, age 30.
The accident happened so fast, the men didn’t have time to react in the seconds before Vernon, traveling north on Carroll Street, ran through the intersection struck the men and crashed into a bucket truck with another lineman perched atop the crane.
The occupant of the bucket truck, Cody Rich, 31, of Reidsville, was working on a line in the bucket when the truck driven by Vernon collided with the Carolina Power and Signalization vehicle. Rich was transported to UNC Health Rockingham with non-life-threatening injuries.
The two injured pedestrians that were struck by Vernon and survived were identified as Hunter Carter of Reidsville, age 24, and 34-year-old Kevin Alexander of Eden. Both were transported to Baptist Hospital.
Carter is in critical condition and Alexander is currently stable.
Vernon has been charged with a stop sign violation and misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. Impairment is not believed to be a factor and officials with the North Carolina Highway Patrol said it appeared Vernon appeared to have suffered a medical episode, which caused the tragic chain of events.
Officers from the Eden Police Department, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Rockingham County Sheriff’s Department and other Emergency Services personnel arrived on the scene within minutes of the accident to render immediate medical rescue assistance.
Vernon suffered minor injuries and was transported to the hospital.
The collision is still under investigation and is being assisted by investigators with the State Highway Patrol’s Collision Reconstruction Unit.
The Rockingham County Administration and the Board of Commissioners released the following joint statement:
“On behalf of the employees of Rockingham County and the Board of Commissioners, we extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the families of those who tragically lost their lives in Eden on Thursday.
This devastating loss is one that touches not just their loved ones, but our entire community.
To those who were injured, we send our sincerest wishes for strength and a full recovery.
We would like to thank the first responders and others who assisted following the tragic accident.
Our prayers are with each of those affected by this accident in the challenging days to come.”
© 2025 the News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.).
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