HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A pedestrian was charged with improperly crossing the street following an incident near Willow Lawn, according to Henrico Police.
“It was reported a pedestrian was trying to cross the roadway when he was struck,” a Henrico Police spokesperson said. “The pedestrian received non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital.”
Witnesses said it appeared the person was struck while trying to catch the bus.
Earlier this year Henrico Police discussed the rise in pedestrian-involved crashes in the county.
Between 2017 and 2018, pedestrian-involved crashes increased 33 percent, according to Henrico Police. The number of people injured in those crashes rose 37 percent. The pedestrian was “at fault” in at least two-thirds of the crashes, Henrico Police Lt. Rob Netherland said.
“There is this misnomer that all pedestrians have the right of way and they only have certain right of ways at certain locations, you still can’t cross the middle of the road right in front of somebody, the driver has protections as well,” Netherland said.
In an attempt to turn the dangerous trend around, Netherland said Henrico was partnering with the state on road safety improvements.
“VDOT has a big comprehensive project that they’re going to be doing, especially along the Broad Street corridor where they are going to be putting in more crosswalks and more pedestrian friendly crossing signals,” Netherland said.
Last summer the Virginia Department of Transportation announced it would spend nearly $2 million in an effort to increase pedestrian safety at 11 busy intersections in Henrico and Chesterfield counties.
The project includes improvements to the following Henrico intersections:
West Broad St. and Pouncey Tract Rd./Pump Rd. (Rt. 271)
Patterson Ave. (Rt. 6) and Gaskins Rd. (Rt. 157)
Gaskins Rd. (Rt. 157) and Gayton Rd.
Gaskins Rd. (Rt. 157) and Quioccasin Rd.
Quioccasin Rd. (Rt. 157) and Pemberton Rd.
Lakeside Ave. (Rt. 161) and Hilliard Rd. (Rte. 356)
West Broad St. (Rt. 250) and North Gayton Rd.
Mechanicsville Turnpike (Rt. 360) and Laburnum Ave. (Rt. 197)
“Once complete, these improvements will enhance pedestrian safety at several busy intersections, especially for those with visual impairments,” Robert Vilak, VDOT Richmond District traffic engineer, said in a 2018 interview.
Work on the project was expected to be completed in spring 2019.
