Johnston County, NC — October 29, 2025, a worker was killed in an evening hit-and-run truck accident in the 500 block of Live Oak Church Road north of Selma.

Authorities said a flatbed truck hit a low-hanging power line near Carmil Drive, causing two Pike Electric workers to get tangled up in the wires.

One of the workers died in the accident, while the other was hospitalized with minor injuries, according to authorities.

The truck did not stop after hitting the power line, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Johnston County accident at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a moving truck reportedly hits a power line, keeps going, and someone ends up dead, a lot of people reading the headlines are bound to ask: How does something like this even happen? Was it just an unfortunate accident, or was someone careless? And more importantly, why didn’t the driver stop?

Based on what's been reported, a flatbed truck struck a low-hanging power line, causing live wires to entangle two utility workers, killing one and injuring the other. The truck left the scene. But we don’t yet know key facts that would help determine whether this was a crime, a civil violation or both.

For example, it’s not clear whether the truck was oversized or carrying a tall load that reached the wire. Was the wire already hanging too low before the truck passed? Were there warning signs posted? Did the truck’s load comply with height restrictions?

These questions aren’t just academic. They determine whether the driver, the trucking company or a third party like a utility company may bear responsibility.

It’s also critical to know what evidence is available. Did the truck have a dash camera that recorded the impact? What about the engine control module; was the driver speeding or braking in the moments before the wire hit? In a case like this, black box data, GPS tracking and even cell phone records can help figure out what the driver saw, knew or should have known.

Then there's the matter of the hit-and-run. If the driver kept going because they didn’t realize they'd hit anything, that might lead to one kind of analysis. But if they knew and drove off anyway, we’re looking at a much more serious situation. Without an eyewitness or surveillance footage, those are hard claims to sort out without launching a serious investigation.

I've seen cases where drivers who had no business being on the road caused harm just like this. In one case I handled, the trucking company gave a 20-minute "road test" to a driver with a history of problems and declared him road-ready. The result? A completely preventable crash that changed a family's life forever. These things don’t just happen. They happen when people cut corners and skip safeguards.

In short, the questions raised by this crash don’t just center on a low-hanging wire. They hinge on what the driver did, what the company should have done and what an investigation can uncover.

Key Takeaways:

• It's unclear if the power line was too low or if the truck's load was too tall. Both scenarios raise different liability questions.
• Whether the driver knew they hit the wire and still chose to leave the scene will play a key role in determining legal consequences.
• Evidence like dash cams, GPS logs and black box data will be essential to reconstructing what actually happened.
• A proper investigation may uncover negligence not just from the driver, but potentially from the trucking company or utility provider.
• Without a full accounting of the facts, it's impossible to say who's responsible, but the tools to find out do exist.