Tragedy in North Carolina: 4 Utility Workers Killed, 3 Injured After Dump Truck Runs Stop Sign

• Four people are dead and three are injured following a dump truck crash in North Carolina
• A 66-year-old man is being charged after authorities claim he failed to stop at a stop sign and hit a crowd of utility workers
• “That was the first time I’ve hit my knees when I heard some news,” said a friend of victim Matthew Lockwood

A man driving a city dump truck in North Carolina has been charged after authorities say he allegedly ran a stop sign and struck six utility workers — four of whom were pronounced dead at the scene.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol, which is investigating the crash, revealed that on Thursday, April 24, at around 1:30 p.m. local time, 66-year-old Michael Ray Vernon was driving a city-owned dump truck in the area of Carroll Street at Church Street in Eden, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) tells PEOPLE.

Vernon is accused of traveling past a stop sign and through an intersection, before his truck hit six people who were conducting power line work for Carolina Power and Signalization, officials said. The vehicle then collided with a bucket truck, which had a person inside, drove off the road and landed in a ditch.

Four workers — 72-year-old Douglas Garland Sides, 32-year-old Madison Carter, 35-year-old William Evans and 30-year-old Matthew Lockwood — died at the scene.

Two other people, aged 24 and 34, were airlifted to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem with life-threatening injuries, while the 31-year-old man in the bucket truck was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The dump truck driver, Vernon, has since been charged with a stop sign violation and misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. Troopers said they didn’t believe impairment to be a factor in the crash.

In a statement shared on Facebook on Friday, Carolina Power & Signalization announced that “a tragic accident claimed the lives of three of our brothers” — nothing that the men were “fathers, sons, husbands and friends who committed their lives to serving others and helping keep the lights on, even in the darkest moments.”

“This heartbreaking reminder of how fragile life is should push us all to hold our loved ones a little tighter,” the company’s president wrote in a statement. “When you get home tonight, take a moment — hug your family, tell them you love them, and never take a single day for granted. We will get through this together — not as coworkers, but as a family. That’s who we are, and that’s what our brothers would want.”

The workers were contractors for Duke Energy, the company said in a statement shared by ABC News. Sides was a contract inspector who worked for Victory Powerline Services, the outlet added.

“We are saddened by this tragic event, and our hearts go out to the families and teammates of those involved,” Duke Energy said. “The safety of our employees, contractors and customers is the highest priority at Duke Energy. We are working closely with law enforcement officials.”

In a video statement later shared on Facebook, Eden Mayor Neville Hall said the city’s “thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families of this terrible incident” as he thanked “the first responders for the job that they did.” The North Carolina governor’s office also released a statement, shared by WXII.

“Governor [Josh] Stein and his wife Anna extend their deepest condolences to the four families who lost a loved one under such tragic circumstances. Keeping workers safe on roads is a shared responsibility, and we must do all that we can to promote road safety.”

Friends have since shared their memories of the crash’s victims, with Matthew Lockwood’s friend Robert Russell telling Fox affiliate WGHP that people “always felt fulfilled with him.” Lockwood joined the Marines and served in Iraq, in 2018, before becoming a lineman for Carolina Power, per the outlet. “He loved the work. I know he would get called when the bad storms happened. He worked hard … Those guys worked really hard,” Russell said.

“That was the first time I’ve hit my knees when I heard some news. That was my little brother,” Russell added of his friend’s death. “I know he’s dining with the Lord right now, and I’m very proud of that.”

Russell, who has since launched a GoFundMe shared by WXII, also encouraged others to “slow down” following the death of Lockwood. “Take the trips with your friends that you said you would … Enjoy those moments because you definitely don’t know when that’s going to stop,” Russell said.

Rynae Lockwood, Matthew’s sister, said her brother would probably like to be remembered as someone that “did a lot of things.”

“He lived,” she said. “He lived his life. He made sure he lived it to the fullest.”