One dead after SUV collides with man driving riding lawnmower in road, NC cops say

A man was killed when his riding lawnmower collided with an SUV on a dark Catawba County road, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol.

It happened around 8:20 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, just east of the Rock Barn Country Club and Spa near Claremont, officials said in a news release. The area is about 45 miles northwest of Uptown Charlotte.

“A 2001 Honda Passport, traveling south on Shook Road struck a riding lawn mower, which the operator was driving south in the roadway,” Master Trooper Christopher M. Casey said in the release.

“The operator of the mower, Phillip Michael Brooks, 59, of Claremont, was ejected from the mower and critically injured. He was transported by EMS to Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, where he succumbed to his injuries.”

The car was driven by a 52-year-old Hickory man, and he was not injured, officials said.

Investigators say “the riding lawn mower was not displaying any lights or reflective markings” at the time of the crash. Speed was not a factor in the crash, officials said.

“No charges will be filed in this case,” officials said.

This story was originally published September 18, 2023 at 5:41 AM with the headline "One dead after SUV collides with man driving riding lawnmower in road, NC cops say."