Community calling for change after Jeep plunges into creek, killing Hickory man

CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) – A Hickory man died after his vehicle became submerged in a creek near where the roadway had washed out, authorities said.

According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, troopers got a call Saturday morning about a vehicle in a creek in the area of 24th Street Place Northeast.

First responders said when they got there, they saw a 2020 Jeep Gladiator upside down and partially submerged in the creek in an area where the road had been washed out.

The road is a private road and in North Carolina, counties do not maintain roads (public or private). The state maintains state-owned roads.

The driver, 47-year-old Philip John Paxson, of Hickory, was found dead inside the Jeep, according to the highway patrol.

Troopers believe the crash happened shortly before 11 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30.

Friend Jon Hopson said Paxson was a father of two young girls, a family man.

“Great guy. I mean, you know, he loved to talk to you. If you didn’t like him, he would talk you into liking him. I mean, he just, he was a talker, and he didn’t know a stranger,” Hopson said.

According to Hopson, Paxson had just celebrated his daughter’s birthday at his home. That was the last time anyone would see him alive.

Investigators say 24th Street Place Northeast is not a road maintained by the N.C. Department of Transportation. They added that the portion of the road collapsed several years ago when a culvert washed away.

Previously barricades had reportedly been vandalized and removed, troopers said.

“We need more signs, you know, at least telling people that the bridge is out, you know, slow down. Map apps need to be updated; it still sends people down here.”

It’s a change Hopson says they’ve pushed for since 2013 when the bridge first washed out.

Because the road is considered private, the responsibility falls on either residents in the area or the developer.

“I mean, this barricade here behind me wasn’t here when it happened. Somebody from the community, I assume, dropped it off and whoever you are out there, we appreciate that. Certainly going to save a life.”

As flowers and photos are placed near the scene to help remember Paxson’s life, friends say it’s time for something to change.

“Just do something for the greater good,” Hopson said. “Nobody wants to take responsibility, but somebody needs to step up and say, ‘You know what? Let’s do something. Fix the bridge, more barricades, something to prevent this from happening again.’”

A GoFundMe has been set up for the family.

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