Authorities ask for public's help in identifying man who died after being hit by truck
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on July 27, 2017 7:09 PM
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
First responders at the scene of a wreck where the driver of an F-150 hit and killed a pedestrian this morning on N.C. 55.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is asking for the public's help identifying the victim of a fatal crash near Seven Springs Wednesday.
Trooper J.S. Smith, who handled the wreck, said nobody has been able to identify the man who was hit by a truck while running across N.C. 55 about five miles west of Seven Springs.
The victim is described as a Hispanic man between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall, black hair, a slight mustache, light skin, about 160 pounds and was wearing blue jeans, brown boots and a white collared shirt with stripes.The man did not have any tattoos, scars or other distinguishing features.
No photo of the man is available prior to him being hit and killed on the highway.Smith said he is believed to have been in the state for only about a month prior to Wednesday's incident and was a migrant worker.
No charges will be filed against the driver of the F-150, identified as 82-year-old Rex Hatch of Mount Olive, who hit the man running across the highway.
According to an initial report, the unidentified man was one of three running across the highway.
Only one of the other two men returned to the scene of the wreck.He spoke to authorities through the use of an interpreter.
Smith said the man claimed to know him, identifying the dead man only as "Manuel," and saying he had come from Guatemala.
But the man did not tell authorities anything about where the dead man lived or what farm he might have been working on.
Anyone with information that might help authorities identify the deceased should call the N.C. State Highway Patrol at 919-731-7960 or 1-800-662-7956.