Pedestrian killed in crash on Independence Boulevard in Charlotte, CMPD confirms

CHARLOTTE — One person was killed after being hit by a car Sunday evening on E. Independence Boulevard, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department confirmed.

CMPD got the report about the crash around 8 p.m. Responding officers found the victim suffering from life-threatening injuries. The victim was transported by MEDIC and pronounced dead at the hospital.

According to an update from CMPD on Tuesday, the victim was identified as Reginald Tutt, 43. Police said Tutt was crossing Independence Boulevard in an area that didn’t have a pedestrian crossing, and he was wearing dark clothing without any reflectors.

The driver of the car that hit Tutt was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police said the driver wasn’t impaired, and speed isn’t believed to be a factor in the crash. No charges have been filed against the driver. CMPD said the crash is still under investigation.

History of wrecks involving pedestrians:

Sunday’s death of Reginald Tutt is the latest of many deaths or serious injuries to pedestrians on or near Independence Boulevard.

This is an issue Channel 9 has been covering extensively for years. We’ve spotted runners, jumpers, kids on hoverboards and close calls.

In 2020, the state produced an Independence Boulevard Pedestrian Safety Study. It found between 2009 and 2018, there were 47 pedestrian crashes on Independence Boulevard

The study advised short-term fixes including improving navigation to grade-separated walkways, enhancing barriers at locations where pedestrian access is restricted, and increasing pedestrian visibility at crosswalks along intersecting roads and interchanges with pedestrian accommodations

Long-term recommendations include the construction of new grade-separated crossings, modifications to existing intersections and interchanges, and enhanced pedestrian and bicycle connectivity along parallel routes to the corridor.

A spokesperson for NCDOT tells Channel 9 no recommendations have been implemented yet.

“We are looking to include a higher median wall for a future project closer to Uptown that’s tentatively scheduled for construction in FY 2027,” spokesperson Jen Thompson said.

NCDOT says if pedestrian bridges are built over Independence Boulevard, they will have to go through the funding process that other transit programs go through and that would be through the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization.

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