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Joe Porter

Birth
Mississippi, USA
Death
19 Jun 1957
Dunn, Harnett County, North Carolina, USA
Burial
Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, USA Add to Map
Plot
unmarked grave
Memorial ID
View Source
Cited at the time as the "worst highway accident in North Carolina history", it occurred at about 7 a.m. on 06 June 1957 in Cumberland County, at the intersection of U.S. 301 and then N.C. 102. The crash involved a tractor-trailer truck loaded with potatoes and a 1 ½ ton stake truck loaded with migrant workers, in route to pick beans. Fourteen people were pronounced dead at the scene and thirteen days later the fatalities tally reached twenty-one; including that of an 18-month old boy.
Non-fatal injuries from this accident were twenty-three.
On the 15 of June – thirteen wooden caskets were laid side by side in a mass grave:
Lewis Wesley, Thomas Mackey, Lee Abram, Lee Brown, John Grant, Unidentified #1 male, Unidentified #2 male, Willie Gary, Richard Stevens, Retha Freeman, Charles Freeman, Lucille Freeman, and Daisy Freeman.
Seven victims were claimed by family and taken to their respective states for burial: Lovelle Giles – Alabama, Harrison Head, Jr. – Georgia, Johnnie Davis – Georgia, James Core – Pennsylvania, M. C. McGowan – Georgia, Willie French – Georgia, and Gustine French - Georgia.
Finally, 10th of July, the remaining victim was laid to rest.
Cited at the time as the "worst highway accident in North Carolina history", it occurred at about 7 a.m. on 06 June 1957 in Cumberland County, at the intersection of U.S. 301 and then N.C. 102. The crash involved a tractor-trailer truck loaded with potatoes and a 1 ½ ton stake truck loaded with migrant workers, in route to pick beans. Fourteen people were pronounced dead at the scene and thirteen days later the fatalities tally reached twenty-one; including that of an 18-month old boy.
Non-fatal injuries from this accident were twenty-three.
On the 15 of June – thirteen wooden caskets were laid side by side in a mass grave:
Lewis Wesley, Thomas Mackey, Lee Abram, Lee Brown, John Grant, Unidentified #1 male, Unidentified #2 male, Willie Gary, Richard Stevens, Retha Freeman, Charles Freeman, Lucille Freeman, and Daisy Freeman.
Seven victims were claimed by family and taken to their respective states for burial: Lovelle Giles – Alabama, Harrison Head, Jr. – Georgia, Johnnie Davis – Georgia, James Core – Pennsylvania, M. C. McGowan – Georgia, Willie French – Georgia, and Gustine French - Georgia.
Finally, 10th of July, the remaining victim was laid to rest.

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