2 hurt in car crash following power outage in east Charlotte

CHARLOTTE — A power outage in east Charlotte may have played a role in a crash that sent two people to the hospital Thursday morning.

Duke Energy said the outage began just before 5 a.m. at North Sharon Amity Road and Kimmerly Glen Lane. Officials say fallen tree limbs damaged power equipment.

Initially, Duke said at least 771 customers were without power.

The outage also affected a nearby intersection at North Sharon Amity and Hickory Grove roads. Without working traffic lights, two cars crashed at the intersection just before 5:30 a.m.

Officials say one person had to be extricated.

One person was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and another is being treated for minor injuries, MEDIC said.

The traffic lights came back on around 6 a.m. as officials worked to clear the scene.

Duke is still reporting hundreds of outages in the area. The estimated time of restoration for those 685 customers is 8:15 a.m.