Charlotte-area traffic: Driver killed in wreck in Gastonia

A Gastonia woman was killed early Tuesday when her car collided with a garbage truck on Franklin Boulevard.

The wreck occurred just after 3 a.m. at Franklin and South Chester Street (U.S. 321).

Gastonia police said Leslie Barrientos, 31, was driving south on South Chester Street with her husband when the wreck happened. The truck was headed west on Franklin Boulevard.

Barrientos was pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband and the garbage truck driver were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash, which shut the Franklin Boulevard intersection for four hours, remains under investigation. Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to call Gastonia police at 704-866-6702.

Meanwhile, slick roads and some flooding are being reported across the Charlotte region because of early morning rain. A flash flood warning is in effect for central Mecklenburg until 11:15 a.m. Authorities across the region are urging drivers to be careful and not to try to cross roads covered in water.

Elsewhere, congestion is reported on southbound Interstate 77 near Tyvola Road.

In Chester County, the southbound lanes of Interstate 77 were closed near mile marker 56 after a tanker carrying gasoline overturned, according to the county’s emergency management agency.

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 6:43 AM with the headline "Charlotte-area traffic: Driver killed in wreck in Gastonia."