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

This browser does not support the video element.

By Stephanie Tinoco

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.

[ [CLICK HERE FOR TRAFFIC TEAM 9 LIVE] ]

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.

Friday's crash was the second deadly accident on that stretch of Lawyers Road in the past two weeks.

A driver died Oct. 24 after hitting a tree.

Police said Nicholas Salisbury drove off Lawyers Road before hitting the tree.

A neighbor told Channel 9 that stretch of road is dangerous because of a sharp curve.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: