Driver charged after 18-wheeler hits motorcycle, killing one person, CMPD says
A motorcyclist died and a passenger on the bike was in critical condition after the driver of an 18-wheeler hit them Monday night on a Charlotte road, police said.
The names of the motorcyclist and the passenger will be released once their families are notified, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department news release Tuesday.
Rolando Reimundez Pedre, the 28-year-old driver of the Freightliner tractor-trailer, was charged for misdemeanor death by vehicle and failure to yield the right of way, police said.
Pedre, who wasn’t hurt, hit the front of the motorcycle while turning left from the southeast lanes in the 4700 block of Rozzelles Ferry Road just after 8:30 p.m., according to the release. The motorcyclist was northbound near Lawton Road, police said.
The wreck happened near Brookshire Boulevard, northwest of uptown Charlotte.
The motorcyclist and passenger had helmets on and were ejected from the bike, police said.
Medic pronounced the motorcyclist dead at the scene and took the passenger to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, according to CMPD.
Police urged anyone who saw the crash or has information about the wreck to call Lt. Bryan Crum at 704-432-2169, extension 4, or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 704-334-1600.
