Pedestrian on sidewalk killed when driver hops curb on busy Charlotte street, cops say
A pedestrian on a sidewalk died Wednesday after a driver hopped a curb and hit him at a busy Charlotte intersection, police said.
The pedestrian was hit while walking on the sidewalk beside South Tryon Street at Arrowood Road just before 9 a.m., according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department news release. Police said they will release the person’s name after family members are notified.
Police said they charged the driver, 52-year-old Robert Gene Scott, with misdemeanor death by vehicle, failure to maintain lane and a red light violation.
Speed and impairment did not appear to be factors in the crash, according to CMPD. Police, however, said the investigation is ongoing.
An officer initially stopped Scott on South Tryon Street at West Arrowood Road, but Scott “accelerated from a stop against a red light and crossed West Arrowood Road,” according to the CMPD release.
He then hit a raised curb on the right side and traveled onto the sidewalk, “with all four wheels, for approximately 250 feet before striking the pedestrian/victim,” according to the release.
The victim was walking south on the sidewalk with his back to the Scott’s car, police said.
Medic took the pedestrian to Carolinas Medical Center, where the person died.
