Fairfax County police are investigating an SUV crash that killed a pedestrian in February but was previously not publicly reported.
Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Centreville Road and Parcher Avenue in the Hutchinson area just outside the Town of Herndon at 2:55 p.m. on Feb. 14 for a crash involving a pedestrian, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release today (Wednesday).
The pedestrian, identified as 67-year-old Norman Barazueta, was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening. However, he was pronounced dead 12 days later on Feb. 26, police say.
Based on a preliminary investigation, Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives believe Barazueta had “stepped into the southbound lanes” of Centreville Road when the southbound driver of a 2024 Chevrolet Trax struck him, according to the FCPD.
“The driver of the Chevrolet was uninjured and remained on scene,” the department said.
Police say Barazueta had “no fixed address,” phrasing typically used to describe unhoused individuals.
According to an FCPD spokesperson, Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives weren’t notified of Barazueta’s death until this week, so they only just assumed the investigation. Police currently don’t expect to file charges against the driver “at this time.”
Barazueta was the second pedestrian to die in a vehicle crash in Fairfax County this year, following a fatal hit-and-run on Richmond Highway in January. A third pedestrian was subsequently killed after being hit by a cargo van driver on Route 29 in Idylwood on April 2.
Earlier this month, regional leaders with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) launched a “Street Smart” campaign aimed at reducing pedestrian and bicyclist deaths through increased enforcement, education and public awareness.
According to COG, the D.C. area saw 110 pedestrians and bicyclists die in traffic crashes last year, which was a 4% decrease from 2023 but still represented more than 30% of all traffic-related deaths.
In Fairfax County, fatalities more than doubled last year to 21 pedestrians and one cyclist. A study by the advocacy group Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets (NOVA FSS) identified 19 pedestrian fatalities through November, and two more pedestrians were killed in December.
In a press release announcing the “Street Smart” campaign, Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who chairs COG’s Transportation Planning Board, noted that the region has “yet to fully reverse the dramatic increase” in traffic fatalities that peaked in 2022.
“Even one life lost is too many,” Walkinshaw said. “… The Street Smart campaign puts a face and a story to these preventable deaths on our roadways, while providing practical information about how drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians can safely share the road.”
More from COG on the campaign:
Created in 2002, Street Smart educates drivers and all commuters through memorable interactive exhibits, media and grassroots outreach, transit ads, and digital engagement. In particular, the campaign urges drivers to slow down, stay alert, and always driver sober to protect our most vulnerable road users, bicyclists and pedestrians.
This year’s spring campaign will take place April 7 through May 4 and will partner with law enforcement officials in DC, suburban Maryland, and northern Virginia to increase enforcement of traffic safety laws. These enforcement actions focus on unsafe behavior, ticketing drivers who speed, fail to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, or drive distracted or under the influence. Fines range from $40 to $500 and violations may also add points to a driver’s record.
Various outreach events are planned throughout the next month, including a wall exhibit with testimonials that will pop up at the West Falls Church Metro station on April 29 and an appearance by a “walking billboard street team” in the same area on April 24.
