Passenger was the 17th fatality in county this year.
The driver of a Ford Fusion that crashed into a combine Sept. 15 has been charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle.
Michael Phillip Strickland was driving 80 miles per hour when he crossed the center line and struck the combine on Cox Town Road, according to the Highway Patrol. Strickland and his passenger, Christian Young of Chadbourn, were airlifted from the scene at around 4:30 p.m.
Young died in an area hospital Sept. 17.
The driver and owner of the combine, Rusty Powell of Tabor City, was partially on the roadway preparing to turn into a field when the crash occurred. He was not injured, nor will he face charges.
Young was the 17th road fatality in Columbus County this year.
