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Legally Blind Man Dies in Crash
Victim had no license due to that disability

By KATE DERINGER Charlotte Observer
A legally blind man died after crashing his Nissan pickup truck into the back of a tractor-trailer early Tuesday morning.

Joseph Lee Shew, 34, of Lenoir was driving south in the left lane of Hickory Boulevard in Lenoir about 6 a.m. He collided with a 2000 Peterbilt tractor-trailer that was turning left out of a southbound lane, said Master Patrol Officer Rodger Morgan of the Lenoir Police Department.

Shew was driving without a license at the time of the accident, Morgan said. Shew's license had been revoked because of his disability.

He was transported to Catawba Memorial Hospital on Tuesday morning, Morgan said.

The driver of the truck, Mark Eugene George of Zanesville, Ohio, was heading into the parking lot at Lowe's hardware store to make a delivery, Morgan said. George was not injured in the accident.

Lenoir police had to detour morning traffic through a parking lot to avoid the scene of the crash, Morgan said.

No charges were filed in the incident.