RICHMOND, Va. – Police have identified the man killed when he was fatally struck by a vehicle on West Broad Street in Richmond on Tuesday morning.
Luther A. Waller, Jr., 67, was transported to the hospital where he died from his injuries.
Sara Dimick, Executive Director of the nonprofit OAR of Richmond says Waller was a client of theirs and she has known him for the last eight years.
Dimick says Waller was a joy to be around and the loss will take some time to work through.
“He'll be missed,” said Dimick. “I know that he didn't have a large support system, but he knew that we cared, and he knew that we loved him and we're a safe place for him.”
Police said the crash happened at about 11:45 a.m. in the 3100 block of West Broad Street, near the intersection of Summit Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found Waller down and injured in the roadway median after being struck by an eastbound vehicle.
The driver remained on scene. So far, no charges have been filed, but the investigation is ongoing.
While the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash are still unknown, Trevor Dickerson, president of the Scott's Addition Boulevard Association says he's concerned about the intersection in general as the northeast corner is closed due to a construction project.
In addition, he says there’s no marked crosswalk to get across West Broad Street.
“We want to work with the city to see what we can do to mitigate this specific issue, but also put in place best practices for the future for this kind of thing and make sure that some sort of accommodation is made so that folks can have safe passage along, you know, where they would normally walk on the sidewalk,” said Dickerson.
Richmond City Councilwoman Kim Gray (District 2) says the area is constantly dealing with accidents and near misses.
“Within Scott's Addition, we've had major traffic concerns. We've had incidents for the past several weeks,” said Gray.
Gray says she was already talking to city officials about the sidewalk before the accident. Gray says that she spoke with Mayor Levar Stoney Wednesday morning and he is working with city agencies to resolve the issue.
“We've got to do better with our planning and implementation of safe routes for pedestrians, for cyclists, for everyone,” added Gray.
