Driver killed after Mustang crashes, hits utility pole in southwest Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police are trying to figure out what led to a crash Thursday night that left a man dead in southwest Charlotte.

Officers were called just after 9:30 p.m. to the scene on South Tryon Street at Nevada Boulevard. When they arrived they spotted a 1992 Ford Mustang that was off the roadway, on its side against a utility pole.

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Paramedics pronounced the driver, Barry Sims, dead at the scene.

⚠️Use caution in the area of S Tryon and Nevada⚠️ pic.twitter.com/WZJ86nDgYd
— CMPD News (@CMPD) March 8, 2019

Nobody else was in the car and police said Sims, 57, was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash.

Investigators believe Sims was heading north on South Tryon Street when the Mustang veered off the road and struck a raised curb. The car then went down an embankment before overturning on the driver's side and hitting the utility pole.

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Police said they are investigating whether alcohol played a role in the crash but said Sims was not speeding.