CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One person died and six others went to the hospital after a three-vehicle wreck Tuesday morning in south Charlotte along Pineville-Matthews Road close to Providence Road, police said.
The crash was reported about 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 13. Investigators said a Hyundai making a left turn took a passenger-side hit from a Nissan that then slammed into an Infiniti waiting to cross the same road. The Hyundai driver was taken to a hospital and later died. Everyone riding in the Nissan — six people in all — was treated for injuries described as minor, and the Infiniti driver walked away unhurt.
Detectives had not filed charges by the first public briefings and said it was not yet clear whether speed or a medical issue played a role. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department traffic units handled the scene while lanes near the junction were disrupted.
Providence Road is a major south Charlotte spine between Myers Park, Eastover and the SouthPark retail and office district, so wrecks near Pineville-Matthews Road ripple quickly into one of the city’s busiest suburban commercial corridors. SouthPark grew into Charlotte’s second downtown for shopping and Class A offices after SouthPark Mall opened in 1970, and weekday traffic there mixes mall trips, office commuting and through travel toward Ballantyne.
South Charlotte commuters who use Providence Road to reach SouthPark Mall, nearby office towers or the Ballantyne corridor should expect lingering delays while detectives finish on-scene work and tow trucks clear the vehicles.
Anyone who saw the wreck or has dash-camera video is asked to contact Charlotte-Mecklenburg police so investigators can finish reconstructing the collision.