Police: Driver tried to pass tractor, killed farmer

A man was killed after a tow truck attempted to pass a tractor and instead struck the tractor, according to N.C. Highway Patrol.

Herman "Dennis" Kiser, 68, of Crouse, was driving a tractor west on Hephzibah Church Road on Saturday, July 27, at 10:20 a.m. when 43-year-old Scottie Andrew Brooks, also of Crouse, who was driving a 2014 Freightliner tow truck, reportedly attempted to pass the tractor in a no passing zone, right as Kiser attempted to turn left into a private drive. The tow truck struck the tractor, N.C. Highway Patrol said in a media release.

Kiser was taken to CaroMont Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Bruce Edward Kiser, a passenger on the tractor, was taken to CaroMont with serious injuries.

Brooks was not injured. He was charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle. His bond was released on an unsecured bond.

Kiser, according to his obituary, was a "gifted auto mechanic whose true love was farming."

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Police: Driver tried to pass tractor, killed farmer