FROM STAFF REPORTS
A Lexington man has been sentenced to 300 days in jail for causing a crash that killed two Mooresville men earlier this year.
A Davidson County judge sentenced Jerry Dan Surratt, 49, to consecutive sentences of 150 days in jail for two counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle for causing a May 2 crash that claimed the lives of Alan Wendell Sanderson, 68, and Mark Hughes, 61.
Surratt was processed at the Iredell County Detention Center on Wednesday. He was placed there under the Statewide Misdemeanor Confinement Program. Participating local jails are paid to house prisoners from other jurisdictions.
Surratt’s projected release date is September 5, 2025.
The N.C. State Highway Patrol investigated the fatal crash, which occurred on Interstate 85 south in Davidson County.
Surratt was driving 2002 Ford pickup about 3 a.m. on May 2 on I-85. He failed to slow down and his vehicle crashed into a 1997 Ford truck driven by Sanderson that was towing a trailer, according to the NCSHP.
The impact caused Sanderson’s truck to travel off the road on the left, overturn and collide with a tree. Both Sanderson and Hughes died as a result of injuries they suffered in the crash, trooper said.
Surratt, who was transported to Atrium Heath Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center with serious injuries, was charged with two counts of misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, driving while license revoked, and failure to reduce speed.
Misdemeanor? Is that a State Law certification for vehicular homicide?
Hmmm – some laws may need to get looked at.
Misdemeanor death by vehicle
A motorist is charged with a misdemeanor if they unintentionally kill someone while violating a state law or local ordinance related to vehicle operation or traffic. This could include speeding, texting, or driving recklessly. The penalty for a misdemeanor death by vehicle is up to 150 days in jail and a fine set by the judge.
“In 2023, about 16.7 out of every 100,000 people in North Carolina died from a gun-related injury. For context, around 16.4 out of every 100,000 people in North Carolina died in a motor vehicle accident that year” (https://usafacts.org/answers/how-many-people-die-from-gun-related-injuries-in-the-us-each-month/state/north-carolina).
Could it be that there so many deaths by motor vehicle accidents in NC because there are more protections for those who recklessly and unlawfully use a car as a lethal weapon than those who use a gun? This man was driving recklessly and with a revoked license. He made an intentional choice to do those things and killed two innocent people in the process.