Rocky River HS athlete killed in crash along Lawyers Road in Mint Hill

MINT HILL, N.C. — Police have identified a Rocky River High School student as the victim in a fatal crash in Mint Hill.

Officers said they responded to Lawyers Road near Bain School Road just before 7 a.m. Friday and found two vehicles in the westbound lanes stuck together.

They said the driver of one of the cars, 16-year-old Modesty Monaesia Shelton, died at the scene.

(Modesty Monaesia Shelton)

“Modesty, she was a sweet girl," her friend, Miles McNeal, said. "Every time I saw her in the hallway, she had a sweet smile.”

Shelton was on the school's track team.

“She was on the track team, so everybody was in the room and it hit us hard like, ‘Modesty? I thought she was in school today,'” McNeal said.

Channel 9 crews on the scene could see long skid marks on the road.

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Police said the initial investigation indicates Shelton lost control of her vehicle, crossed the centerline and was hit by the other vehicle. They said speed appears to have been a factor.

The driver of the other vehicle was taken to the hospital but was released.

“It was terrible," student Rolando Tromp said. "(It is) depressing -- everyone quiet -- sad.”

[IMAGES: Police investigating fatal crash on Lawyers Road in Mint Hill]

The road was closed while police investigated but reopened around 11:30 a.m.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Major Crash Investigations Unit is assisting with the investigation.

#BREAKING: This is now a fatal crash that is under investigation. #cltraffic #clttraffic #clt https://t.co/f0ClNRoWJx
— Traffic Team 9 (@TrafficTeam9) November 9, 2018