(Updated at 3:20 p.m.) A 19-year-old man from Chantilly died this morning in a two-vehicle crash on Prosperity Avenue in Merrifield.
According to police, David Mendez Hernandez was driving north in the 2900 block of Prosperity Avenue in a 2007 Nissan 350Z when he crashed into a tractor-trailer turning left into the southbound lanes. He was transported to a hospital, where he died.
Officers responded to the scene at 7:02 a.m. Prosperity was shut down between Route 29 (Lee Highway) and Route 50 (Arlington Blvd) until after 10 a.m.
Mendez Hernandez was driving “at a high rate of speed” and lost control of his sedan when the crash occurred, the Fairfax County Police Department said, noting that detectives don’t believe alcohol was a factor.
The FCPD has now reported 19 non-pedestrian deaths in vehicle crashes this year, matching the death toll seen at this point in 2021.
According to Virginia crash data, there have been 55 road fatalities in Fairfax County in 2022, though the database hasn’t yet three deaths reported so far in December. In addition to Mendez Hernandez, that includes a fatal crash on I-495 in Tysons last Thursday (Dec. 1) and the death of a pedestrian on Route 50 in West Falls Church on Sunday (Dec. 4).
Officers are investigating a two-vehicle crash in the 2900 block of Prosperity Ave in Merrifield. One person was pronounced deceased. Prosperity is closed between Rt 50 and Rt 29. Crash Reconstruction detectives responding. Follow police directions. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/Bzz3gphML8
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 6, 2022
