CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One man is dead and another facing charges after a single vehicle accident in Charlotte Sunday morning.
On Sunday, May 13, 2018, at 6:43 a.m., CMPD officers responded to reports of a vehicle crashing into a tree in the 4100 block of Central Avenue near the intersection of Medallion Drive.
The passenger in the vehicle, 22-year-old Jose Valdemar Leal-Gutierrez, was pronounced dead at the scene be MEDIC.
The driver Erik Perales, 23, sustained serious injuries in the accident and was taken to CMC-Main for treatment.
An investigation determined Perales was operating his vehicle above the posted speed limit on outbound Central Boulevard, when the vehicle crossed a median into on-coming traffic, ran off the roadway and struck a tree.
Neither Leal-Gutierrez nor Perales was wearing a seatbelt. Alcohol impairment was not a factor in the wreck.
Perales has been charged with Misdemeanor Death by Vehicle and Reckless Driving.
The case is still under investigation.
