
Fairfax County police have filed charges against a 41-year-old woman from Annandale who drove into four pedestrians on May 20, resulting in one person’s death.
Joana Konadu has been charged with reckless driving for failure to keep a vehicle under control, the FCPD announced today (Thursday).
According to police, Konadu was driving north on Maple Place when she dropped food and spilled a drink in her 2008 Nissan Sentra. While she was attempting to pick up the food and drink, the Nissan crossed the road median and drove onto the sidewalk in the 7200 block.
“In the parking lot at 7263 Maple Place, several pedestrians were gathered discussing a community project in the area,” the FCPD said. “When the vehicle entered the parking lot, four pedestrians were struck.”
One of the pedestrians — 83-year-old Annandale resident Eileen Garnett — died on May 25 from injuries that she sustained in the crash.
According to Annandale Today, Garnett had been a longtime advocate for revitalizing Annandale, and she was part of a group touring the area with the Annandale Central Business District Planning Committee at the time of the crash.
Annandale Today also reported last week that Laura Baker, an employee of the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development, was hospitalized with serious injuries.
GoFundMe fundraisers have been set up to support Baker and one of the other pedestrians involved in the crash.
FCPD detectives presented the incident to the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office this week to determine whether to file any charges against the driver, as is customary for fatal pedestrian crashes, the department told FFXnow.
The reckless driving charge was brought by detectives from the department’s Crash Reconstruction Unit.
Konadu was issued a summons and has been released on recognizance, the FCPD said.
“Victim advocates from our Major Crimes Bureau’s Victim Services Division have been assigned to this case to ensure the family of the deceased victim is receiving appropriate resources and assistance,” police said in the news release.
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