CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is investigating a deadly crash that happened in Charlotte's Steele Creek area that shut down South Tryon Street for several hours Wednesday morning, officials said.
Charlotte firefighters responded to the crash just before 10 a.m. It happened on South Tryon Street at Garden Oaks Lane, near the Sovereign at Belgate apartments complex.
Officers on scene located a green 2001 Dodge Dakota pickup truck with heavy front-end damage and a Charlotte Area Transit System bus in the roadway with rear-end damage.
The driver of the pickup truck, 37-year-old Robert Compton, was treated for injuries by Medic and the Charlotte Fire Department but died at the scene, police said. Compton was not wearing a seatbelt, officers said.
The driver of the bus, Authur Walker was the sole occupant of the bus and was uninjured, according to police.
Detectives said the CATS bus had just dropped off two passengers and was stopped at the bus stop and in the right lane closest to the curb. At the same time, Compton was traveling south in the right lane and failed to stop before colliding into the rear of the CATS bus.
Witnesses who live in the area say they saw the pick-up truck crash into the back of a CATS bus. Typically residents say they have noticed CATS buses stopped at the bus stop for several minutes with the hazard lights on. Neighbors also add speed is a problem along South Tryon Street.
“Just seeing something like this just puts it into motion that you just need to slow and just be aware of your surroundings," resident Danielle Sanders said.
Impairment is not suspected of the CATS operator and toxicology results are pending for Compton, according to police. Detectives have not yet said if speed was a contributing factor
South Tryon Street reopened shortly after noon on Wednesday.
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