CHARLOTTE — Police have identified a man who was killed after crashing early Friday in north Charlotte.
Officers responded to the scene at around 3 a.m. along North Tryon Street near Craighead Road, where they found a vehicle severely damaged.
The driver, 43-year-old Dameon St. John, was found lying in a grassy area near the vehicle. MEDIC confirmed he died at the scene.
After investigating, police said St. John was speeding when he went off the road to the right and struck several metal poles, two utility poles and a tree. He also collided with multiple vehicles that were parked in a parking lot.
Officers said St. John was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, causing him to be thrown from the vehicle.
Channel 9 crews on the scene could see debris scattered across the road and a power pole that had been snapped in half. Several vehicles parked at a car dealership had also been damaged.
Crews towed the victim’s badly mangled car from the scene around 7:30 a.m.
Police said excessive speed was a factor in the crash.
[ ALSO READ: Impairment, speed suspected in deadly head-on crash in southeast Charlotte, police say ]
Duke Energy was not reporting any power outages in the area.
The outbound lanes of North Tryon Street were closed while officers investigated. Crews expected the road to be shut down for most of the morning.
Check back with wsoctv.com for updates on this story.
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