Girl, 6, killed when speeding driver, 15, crashes head-on in Charlotte, police say

Joe Marusak
·1 min read

A 6-year-old girl has died at a hospital after a head-on crash in Charlotte this week that involved a speeding 15-year-old driver, police said.

Ariela Lopez was pronounced dead just before 6 p.m. Wednesday, a day after the wreck in the 400 block of East Arrowood Road, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department news release.

Ariela was in the middle rear seat of a 2004 Toyota Corolla whose 15-year-old driver veered into oncoming traffic and hit a minivan about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

Police didn’t say if Ariela and others in the vehicles had seat belts on.

The 61-year-old minivan driver and a front-seat passenger were hospitalized with minor injuries, according to CMPD.

The Toyota driver and a front-seat passenger were hospitalized with serious injuries, police said. Their conditions were unavailable Friday.

Officers haven’t said if any charges were filed. Police urged any witnesses to the crash to call the CMPD Detective Justin Kupfer at 704-432-2169, Ext. 1, or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tips line at 704-334-1600.