Man who was fatally hit by truck is identified
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on July 31, 2017 3:32 PM
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First responders at the scene of a fatal wreck last Wednesday where Manual Sanchez Ramirez was hit and killed by an F-150.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol has released the identity of a man hit and killed by a truck near Seven Springs Wednesday.
Manuel Sanchez Ramirez, 38, of Seven Springs, was identified as the victim of the crash after the agency received a call from the Guatemalan consulate in Raleigh.
Trooper J.S. Smith said one of Ramirez's friends called a cousin of Ramirez who lives in South Carolina after the crash.
Smith said he then got a call from the Guatemalan consulate in Raleigh letting him know who Ramirez was.
From there, the Highway Patrol was able to confirm his identity by obtaining a copy of his birth certificate and viewing pictures of him from his family.
Smith said Ramirez had been living outside of Wayne County until recently.
Ramirez was killed when he ran across N.C. 55 with two other men and was struck by a Ford F-150 driven by 82-year-old Rex Hatch of Mount Olive.
No charges were filed against Hatch after the wreck.
The trio was running from the north side to the south side of the highway approximately five miles outside of Seven Springs, moving left to right in front of Hatch's truck.
Ramirez was thrown about 50 feet by the impact when he was hit by the truck.
Only one of the two men he was with returned to the scene to speak with authorities.
Troopers spoke to him through an interpreter, and the man did not prove to be much help.
Speed was not factor in the accident, and Hatch was traveling at the posted 55 mph speed limit.
The accident happened in front of the R&M Mobile Home Park, just west of Camp Jubilee Road, about five miles west of Seven Springs.
The section of N.C. 55 between Camp Jubilee and Emmaus Church roads was closed for more than an hour as the Highway Patrol investigated the scene.
Indian Springs firefighters responded since the initial call indicated that the accident had occurred at N.C. 55 and N.C. 403.
Wayne County Sheriff's deputies responded as well.
- News-Argus Staff Writer Steve Herring contributed to this report.