Witnesses say van that hit dump truck on I-485 did not have headlights on

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Troopers closed a portion of Interstate 485 in University City for hours Wednesday morning while they investigated a fatal crash involving a minivan and a dump truck.

The wreck happened around 2:45 a.m. on the inner loop near Caldwell Road.

Troopers said Joel Flowers, of Matthews, was killed in the crash. His white minivan was damaged so severely that it was hard to make out the make and model.

Investigators told Channel 9 that the dump truck was working on road resurfacing in a work zone and was carrying a load of asphalt and trying to make a U-turn from the outer loop to the inner loop when the van slammed into it.

The driver of the dump truck told troopers he never saw any headlights from the van and witnesses told investigators that the headlights on the van were not working.

No charges have been filed but troopers are still investigating.

The inner loop was closed between University City Boulevard and Rocky River Road but officials were able to reopen all lanes just after 6 a.m.

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