One dead, one seriously hurt when vehicle collides with LYNX train in south Charlotte

One man was killed and another person was seriously hurt when a Toyota Tundra pickup collided with LYNX Blue Line train in south Charlotte late Monday.

The driver, Baltazar Tiquiram Us, 27, died at the scene, according to Charlotte Mecklenburg Police. A front-seat passenger of the Toyota remains hospitalized, officials said. The person’s identity was not released.

Four people were aboard the LYNX train at the time of the crash and none suffered injuries, police said in a release.

The crash around 9:50 p.m. when a southbound LYNX Blue Line train and the pickup ”made contact at the Hebron Street grade crossing,” according to the Charlotte Area Transit Authority. The station is off South Boulevard, near the Starmount Forest area.

A preliminary investigation indicates “the driver of the Toyota drove around the crossing arms and into the path of the Light Rail train,” police said.

“The train operator sounded the horn while it was approaching the crossing, and the crossing arms’ warning lights were operational and flashing,” CMPD said.

Toxicology results are pending to see if alcohol was a factor in the crash, police said.

The crash forced CATS to use a “bus bridge” between Archdale and Interstate 485 Stations. By 5:45 a.m., normal operations had resumed on the track, CATS said in a tweet.

It marks the second time a fatal crash has occurred at the Hebron Street site. In 2017, a 26-year-old woman was killed after her vehicle collided with a light-rail train, the Observer reported. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said the driver failed to stop for the crossing arms and signal at the station.