CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A pedestrian who was hit and killed in east Charlotte Sunday evening was identified by police.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police responded to a reported crash involving a pedestrian on East Independence Boulevard near Frank Bailey Drive around 8 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11. When officers arrived, they found 43-year-old Reginald Tutt lying in the road after he was hit by a 2005 Toyota Avalon. Tutt was rushed to a hospital where he later died from his injuries.
The driver of the Toyota was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries related to the crash.
CMPD said Tutt was crossing a section of the road that isn't meant for pedestrians. Investigators said he was wearing dark-colored clothing and did not have any reflectors.
The driver of the Toyota, who hasn't been identified, was screened and not found to be impaired. Speed was determined to not be a factor in the crash.
“Sympathies go out to their families and even the driver because it’s going to take a toll on them as well," driver Marie Jones said.
Jones lives in the area and says she often sees people trying to cross Independence Boulevard, and this isn't the first time she's heard about a deadly pedestrian crash along the busy highway.
“It’s really dangerous especially when they do it at night time and you can’t see them," Jones said. "It’s been a couple times I had to pump my brakes so I didn’t hit somebody but it’s been going on for years.”
In 2020, the North Carolina Department of Transportation worked to complete a pedestrian safety study along Independence Boulevard to help identify improvements but found there's no easy or immediate fix.
“It’s a difficult corridor because the corridor is very wide," NC DOT Traffic Safety Engineer Brian Mayhew said. "There are a lot of lanes in both directions, a lot of traffic and the speeds can be fairly high.”
CMPD says more information about this latest deadly incident will be released once the crash report is complete.
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