Winding two-lane country roads are dangerous for farmers, particularly during planting and harvest season, as growers frequently move equipment between properties. It’s something Ralph Edward Reynolds Jr. has done thousands of times before. But this week, as he was traveling on Route 221 in Bedford County, Virginia, and making a left-hand turn, a tractor-trailer rig going in the same direction attempted to pass him in a no-passing zone.
The rig collided with Reynolds’ AGCO model 5960A just after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, fatally injuring the 75-year-old. He died hours later.
Reynolds, known to most as “Eddie,” was well-loved and respected in the community.
“He did the things that brought him joy and that just spread through every other part of his life,” Reynolds’ cousin, Nicole Johnson, told local TV station WDBJ7.
Reynolds volunteered at the nearby National D-Day Memorial, and his horses and carriage were regular sights at many area events.
The driver of the tractor-trailer rig has been charged with reckless driving, according to the Virginia State Police, and the investigation is ongoing.
