Passenger Dead, Driver Facing Charges After Single Vehicle Crash In Charlotte

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-oldΒ Jose Valdemar Leal-Gutierrez, was pronounced dead at the scene be MEDIC.

The driverΒ 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 vehicleΒ crossed a median into on-coming traffic, ran off the roadway and struck a tree.

Neither Leal-Gutierrez nor Perales was wearing a seatbelt. Β Alcohol impairment was not a factor in the wreck.

Perales has been charged withΒ Misdemeanor Death by Vehicle and Reckless Driving.

The case is still under investigation.