CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two people died early Saturday in a crash on Independence Boulevard just outside Uptown Charlotte, medics and police said, and inbound lanes were temporarily closed while investigators worked the scene.
The wreck happened near the I-277 interchange, where drivers choose between the John Belk Freeway and the Brookshire Freeway to reach Uptown. One account put the crash just before 2:30 a.m.; another put it around 4 a.m. along Independence Boulevard heading toward Uptown. Medics said two people were pronounced dead and that no one else was hospitalized.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police were piecing together what led to the fatal crash. During the closure, traffic was forced off at Charlottetowne Avenue, and all lanes later reopened. Investigators had not immediately released names of the people killed or said how many vehicles were involved.
Independence Boulevard is one of the busiest approaches into Uptown Charlotte and regularly carries heavy overnight traffic near the freeway split. CMPD Chief Estella D. Patterson department Major Crash investigators typically lead fatal roadway probes in Mecklenburg County with support from MEDIC and the Charlotte Fire Department.
Mayor Rob Harrington administration and city transportation officials have tracked repeated serious wrecks on Independence Boulevard corridors that feed Uptown. Sheriff Garry McFadden office handles custody when impaired-driving arrests follow major crash investigations, though no such arrest had been announced in this Saturday wreck as of the morning updates.
Police asked anyone who saw the crash or has dash-camera video to contact CMPD detectives. The department said the probe remained active and that more information would be released once next of kin notifications and vehicle examinations are finished.
No additional injuries were reported beyond the two deaths. Authorities cautioned that early timelines can shift as investigators reconcile witness statements, communications logs and physical evidence from the Independence Boulevard scene.
