One person suffered non-life-threatening injuries yesterday afternoon after a two-vehicle collision in Uptown Charlotte near the intersection of Trade Street and North Tryon Street, and witnesses told local TV that Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball may have been involved. A large SUV, photographed at the scene as a customized 2022 Hummer EV, was left with a missing left-front wheel while a gray sedan was disabled in the middle of the intersection. MEDIC crews treated at least one person on scene and both vehicles were towed away. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police had not released details about the crash by early evening.
Eyewitness accounts and response
Witnesses told Channel 9 they saw a gray Kia traveling east on Trade Street when the Hummer tried to make a left turn onto the one-way Tryon Street and the two vehicles collided. Chopper footage and photos from the scene show the Hummer missing a front wheel and the sedan stalled in the intersection. MEDIC confirmed that one person had non-life-threatening injuries and that both cars were towed, as reported by WSOC-TV.
What officials have said
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have not issued a public statement and had released no official details about who was driving or what caused the crash, WCNC-TV reported. WCNC's initial coverage noted witnesses who suggested LaMelo Ball may have been behind the wheel, but investigators have not publicly confirmed that account.
Local context
Ball is a high-profile Uptown resident; public records show he purchased a condo at The Trust building on South Tryon Street in 2024, which helps explain his presence in the neighborhood, according to Axios Charlotte. The crash briefly blocked LYNX Gold Line streetcar service through the Trade and Tryon corridor during afternoon operations.
What we don’t know
It remains unclear who will be cited, whether impairment or speed were factors, or whether the injured person was an occupant or a bystander. We will update this story if Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, MEDIC or Hornets representatives provide further information.
