Man charged with DWI in CATS bus crash that sent 15 to the hospital, CMPD says

CHARLOTTE — A man is accused of driving while intoxicated after more than a dozen people were hurt when a truck collided with a city bus on Sunday.

It happened a little after 7 a.m. in north Charlotte, at the intersection of Oaklawn Avenue and Statesville Avenue.

A Channel 9 crew at the scene could see the Charlotte Area Transit System bus on the side of the road.

Paramedics told Channel 9 that 25 people were on the bus at the time of the crash. Fifteen people were taken to the hospital but none were seriously hurt, according to MEDIC.

On Monday, officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said they made an arrest in the case. Nelzo Arcenio Mendez Domingo, 30, is charged with driving while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license.

According to investigators, Domingo is accused of running a red light in a white Ford pickup at that intersection. He then hit another car before also hitting a CATS bus, police said. The truck stopped moving after hitting a telephone pole, authorities said.

Domingo was arrested at the scene, CMPD said.

“Unusual for a Sunday morning to have an incident like this, but our folks were prepared for that and that’s what we have our specialized equipment for -- the mass casualty bus for -- so we’re happy that we’re able to help out and get everybody taken care of,” said MEDIC supervisor Don Shue.

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