Burke County, NC — May 1, 2025, Rex Powell was killed and another was hurt after a FedEx truck accident at around 1:30 p.m. along Highway 181.
Preliminary information from the North Carolina Highway Patrol says that the crash happened at the intersection of Highway 181/Green Street and Bowman Avenue.
According to officials, 67-year-old Rex Ivy Powell was in a Nissan Frontier traveling northbound along Green Street. At Bowman, authorities say a FedEx truck going eastbound pulled through the stop sign into the path of Rex Powell. As a result, the two vehicles collided.
Rex Powell was killed in the crash, authorities say. The FedEx driver had reportedly minor injuries. At this time, reports say that the FedEx driver has been charged for misdemeanor death by vehicle and failure to yield.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
As serious as these allegations are, even if they turn out to be true, it’s important to understand why they may only be the tip of the iceberg. I’ve handled hundreds of commercial vehicle accident cases, and there is often more to an accident than just a single reckless individual. A lot of the time, a negligent truck driver’s employer made mistakes that directly contributed to the accident. Did that happen here?
For example, what kind of training did this driver receive? Were they rushed through the hiring process? Did they have a history of reckless driving their employer overlooked? In my experience, companies sometimes cut corners when it comes to evaluating whether a driver is truly ready to be on the road—especially when they’re short on staff or eager to meet delivery demands. That kind of neglect can result in someone making a deadly mistake they never should have been in a position to make in the first place.
There’s also the common issue of drivers under pressure to meet unreasonable demands. Was this driver on a tight delivery window? Had they been driving for extended hours leading up to the crash? I’ve seen many cases where drivers, under pressure to meet unrealistic deadlines, push the limits of safety to stay on schedule. Whether that means driving fatigued, rushing through intersections, or trying to shave seconds off their route, the consequences can be dire. That kind of behavior often traces back to company policies that prioritize speed over safety.
If authorities are extending their efforts beyond the crash scene and looking into those possible factors, then that’s likely a good sign that the full story will be brought to light here. However, if the investigations begin and end at the charges recommended against this driver, there could be all kinds of other issues slipping through the cracks. Not only do those kinds of factors need to be brought to light for accountability’s sake, but also the victim’s loved ones deserve to know others won’t suffer the same harm they did.
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