Driver of Eden dump truck officially charged after fatal crash killed 4 linemen, injured 2 others

EDEN, N.C. (WGHP) — The man accused of driving the dump truck that ran a stop sign, hitting and killing four workers, has been officially charged.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, who have taken over the investigation due to the involvement of a City of Eden vehicle, Michael Ray Vernon, 66, of Eden, met investigations at the magistrate's office and was officially charged with one count of failing to stop for a stop sign, one count of operating a commercial motor vehicle without a valid CDL and 4 counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.
He was given a $50,000 unsecured bond.
Investigators are continuing to work on the crash, which happened on April 24 and killed four men working as contractors for Duke Energy.
Fallen Linemen Organization working to help Eden crash victims
Four of the six pedestrians hit died on the scene. Two people suffered serious, life-threatening injuries and were air-lifted to a hospital. The person in the bucket truck was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The four deceased have been identified as:
Douglas Garland Sides, 71, of Summerfield
Madison Carter, 32, of Sandy Ridge
William Evans, 35, of Randleman
Matthew Lockwood, 30, of Winston-Salem
Lockwood was a Marine, described by one of his best friends as a man of faith and a person whom people liked to be around. Evans's step-brother remembered him as a devoted family man who leaves behind his wife and son. Sides was a fisherman and 'the coolest guy ever' according to a former coworker.
All of them were remembered as loving their work as linemen. The Fallen Linemen Organization works to support families of linemen who are severely injured or killed, and is working to help the families of the Eden crash victims.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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