An adult woman who was walking in the Richmond Highway (Route 1) area when she was hit by a truck has died from her injuries, the Fairfax County Police Department said last week.
Detectives from the Crash Reconstruction Unit are investigating the crash that took place around 7:45 p.m. on Thursday (July 2), as the woman was crossing at the intersection of Richmond Highway and Dart Drive.
According to police, she was using a mobility device — initially described in a social media post as a “mobility wheelchair” — and likely crossing Dart Drive from north to south when she was hit by the driver of a Ford F-250 turning right onto northbound Route 1.
“The woman was transported to a local hospital in life-threatening condition and later pronounced deceased,” police said in a press release. “Identification is being withheld pending next of kin notification. The driver of the Ford was uninjured and remained on scene.”
Police said that alcohol and speed do not appear to be factors in the crash, which remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Crash Reconstruction Unit at 703-280-0543.
Four other pedestrians have died from crashes in Fairfax County within the last few weeks, including another fatality on Richmond Highway, as a man was crossing at Fort Hunt Road on June 18. He was hit first by one car, then a second, police said. The first driver remained at the scene; the second left, but was located later.
Advocates have long considered the 14-mile-long Richmond Highway corridor, which stretches from the Alexandria border down to the Occoquan River south of Lorton, to be in a pedestrian safety crisis. More than 60 pedestrians and cyclists have been killed or seriously injured in Richmond Highway crashes over the past decade, including several incidents this year.
A total of 11 pedestrians have now died on Fairfax County roads this year, based on preliminary state data and FFXnow’s reporting.
