Tractor-Trailer Driver Charged In Connection To Fatal Collision With Mower

The North Carolina Highway Patrol said that the driver of a tractor-trailer that struck a mowing tractor in the median of Interstate 95 near Fayetteville on October 27, causing fatal personal injuries to the operator, will face a misdemeanor charged.

According to Trooper Greg Steffens, 65-year-old Lehigh Acres, Florida resident Luis Valdes has been charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle after the wreck.

Valdes, driving for the Lehigh Acres-based Marlu Transport Service, lost control of the vehicle shortly after 11:30 a.m. and collided with two safety vehicles before hitting the tractor.

The mower’s operator, 47-year-old Erwin resident John Glenn McLean, died at the scene. His son, 19-year-old Erwin resident Jerome Stewart, was in one of the safety vehicles Valdes struck and received hospital transport for observation.

Valdes sustained minor injuries in the crash and was charged following his release from the hospital.