CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two drivers died after their dump trucks collided near the 12900 block of Moores Chapel Road.
On August 4, around 1:10 p.m. CMPD responded to a two-vehicle crash. Once officers reached the scene they located a 2006 Mack dump truck with severe damage and the driver, 66-year-old Donald Burnette had been ejected. The second vehicle, a 2017 Kenilworth dump truck was located down an embankment with the driver, 26-year-old Darius LaShawn Sweezy was inside the vehicle with serious injuries.
MEDIC arrived at the scene and pronounced both drivers, Burnette and Sweezy dead.
Officials believe Burnette was in the Mack dump truck traveling north on Moores Chapel Rd. and rand off the road to the right, overcorrected, and crossed the centerline to his left, and started sliding sideways.
Sweezy who was in the Kenilworth dump truck was traveling south at the time when he drove off the road slightly to his right to avoid colliding with Burnette but was still struck. The impact of the collision between the empty Mack truck and the fully-loaded Kenilworth truck spun the Mack dump truck and Burnette was ejected. This caused the Kenilworth truck to continue off the road to the right down an embankment where it caught on fire, said CMPD.
The investigation into the crash is still ongoing although impairment is not suspected for either driver, test results are still pending.
Failure to maintain the lane by Burnette appeared to be the primary contributing factor in the crash.
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