Police charge driver for killing 1, hurting 4 others in head-on crash

CHARLOTTE — Police have charged the driver who caused a head-on crash that killed one person and hurt four others in southeast Charlotte.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers said the two-car crash happened shortly after 6:45 p.m. Sunday on Idlewild Road near Drifter Drive.

Investigators said when officers arrived at the scene, they found two severely damaged cars. One was a 1995 Toyota Corolla with two hurt passengers inside. The other was a 2006 Infiniti G35 with three hurt passengers.

When Mecklenburg EMS crews arrived, they said the front seat passenger of the Toyota, Lilaben Patel, had died at the scene.

The Toyota’s driver, Narshinbhai Patel, and all three people inside the Infiniti were taken to the hospital, police said. The driver of the Infiniti and his two passengers had minor injuries are are expected to recover, police said.

Officers said Narshinbhai Patel had been driving northwest on Idlewild Road when he drove out of his lane to the left and into oncoming traffic. The driver of the Infiniti was driving in the opposite direction on Idlewild Road and swerved left to avoid the crash, but ultimately, the Toyota hit the Infiniti head-on.

Narshinbhai Patel was cited for misdemeanor death by vehicle and driving left of center, police said. He was also cited for not having a license and for a child seat violation.

Police said there were no known witnesses to the crash, and asked anyone who saw it or who might have information about the case to call Detective Pressley at 704-432-2169 extension 2, or Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. The public can also visit the Crime Stoppers website to leave information anonymously.

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