EDEN, N.C. (WGHP) — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a crash in Eden that left four linemen dead.
A City of Eden dump truck reportedly ran a stop sign, hitting and killing four men working in the area and injuring three others, two seriously, on April 24. Due to the crash involving a city vehicle, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and NTSB are investigating.
On Thursday, the NTSB provided the following details about their ongoing investigation:
The NTSB, in coordination with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, is conducting a safety investigation into the Apr. 24 crash involving utility maintenance workers and a bulk refuse truck in the City of Eden, North Carolina.
The preliminary information we have is that a city-owned bulk refuse truck was traveling northbound when the driver failed to stop at a stop sign and entered the work zone. The truck struck multiple utility workers and a bucket truck. As a result, four workers were killed and three were injured.
An NTSB team of investigators began arriving on site on Friday, and included specialists in highway factors, vehicle factors, crash reconstruction, survival factors, motor carrier, human performance and a medical officer.
The NTSB regularly investigates road and highway crashes to identify possible system-wide safety issues that could have nationwide impacts and makes recommendations on how to prevent similar crashes from occurring in the future. Work-zone safety has been a focus of previous NTSB investigations and an important issue for improving road safety.
The NTSB says a preliminary report is expected within 30 days and then a full report could come in 12-24 months. The driver of the dump truck was formally charged on Wednesday and the highway patrol is also continuing to investigate.
Source: Fox 8 News Channel