Police: Wrong-way driver who died on Wilkinson Boulevard had consumed alcohol
A driver who consumed alcohol and was speeding in the wrong direction died in a two-vehicle collision on Wilkinson Boulevard near Charlotte Douglas International Airport early Saturday, police said.
Micky Gale Howard, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene by Medic.
Howard was traveling west in the eastbound lanes in the 7000 block of Wilkinson Boulevard when the driver of an eastbound tractor with tandem trailers saw Howard’s headlights. The tractor-trailer driver was in the left lane but couldn’t move over to avoid Howard’s pickup because of vehicles in the right eastbound lanes, police said.
Howard’s pickup hit the left front fender of the tractor and then the driver door, rear left tire and both trailers before stopping partly on the median and the left westbound lane. Howard wasn’t wearing a seat belt, police said. The tractor-trailer driver was uninjured.
Police encourage anyone who saw the crash to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Detective Steve Williams at 704-432-2169.
Joe Marusak: 704-358-5067, @jmarusak
This story was originally published July 16, 2016 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Police: Wrong-way driver who died on Wilkinson Boulevard had consumed alcohol."