HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- A man was killed and a 17-year-old driver was arrested and charged with a variety of crimes including DUI, felony hit and run, involuntary manslaughter, possessing a fake ID, and unauthorized use of a vehicle after a fatal crash in Henrico County, according to Henrico Police.
The crash was reported at about 2 a.m. on Monday near the intersection of Staples Mill Road and Bremner Boulevard, not far from the Amtrak Station in Henrico County.
"The preliminary investigation appears to show the driver of a Toyota RAV4 struck a pedestrian in the westbound lanes of Staples Mill Road between Bremner Boulevard and Sprenkle Lane. The suspect then drove away from the scene," a Henrico Police spokesperson wrote about the crash investigation.
The pedestrian, who police identified as 27-year-old Andre Antonio Messado, of New Jersey, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police found the teenage driver in the vehicle about two miles from the crash site.
"Alcohol appears to be a contributing factor in the crash," police said. "Additionally, the suspect was issued a summons for operating a vehicle without a license. He is currently being held at the Henrico County Juvenile Detention Home."
Anyone with information about the crash was asked to call Crash Team Investigator Jennings at 804-928-0511.
"That area of Staples Mill is just really unsafe," Natalie Rainer, a cyclist and crash survivor who was hit by a driver over a year ago in Henrico County. said.
Jonah Holland, who was cycling with Rainer at the time, was killed in the crash.
"Any time a person is hit by a vehicle, it is a tragedy," Rainer said. "And unfortunately, it will continue to happen as long as our neighborhoods are not built for the safety of pedestrians in mind."
Rainer is advocating for better pedestrian safety measures at busy intersections like the Staples Mill Road and Bremner Boulevard intersections.
The area does have sidewalks for pedestrians, but no crosswalks or additional lighting for pedestrians or cyclists.
"Just having sidewalks does not make it safe for people to ride bikes and it doesn't make it safe for people to cross the street. And when you have really wide intersections with no crosswalks, drivers aren't paying attention," Rainer said. "They're not expecting pedestrians."
According to VDOT crash data, there were 67 traffic crashes involving pedestrians in 2023 in Henrico County.
There were 31 reported crashes involving pedestrians who were seriously injured that year.
The dashboard shows seven fatal traffic crashes that year, one of which was listed as happening on Staples Mill Road.
It's something both Rainer and Henrico County transit leaders are sad to see.
"If you're out in the evening, a lot of times pedestrians are having to cross the street, either mid-block or you know, at the intersection, and a lot of those are dark, so that's been part of the challenge," Terrell Hughes, Henrico County's Director of Public Works, said.
Hughes said the county is working on installing pedestrian signals and lighting in busy areas like the intersection where Monday morning's fatal hit and run occurred.
However, because Staples Mill and other routes in the county are state maintained, the county must go through the state to have plans and subsequent changes approved.
"Coincidentally, those are also the highest volume roads," Huges said. "They're also the roads with the most commercial activity. And, unfortunately, they're the roads with the most pedestrian safety issues."
The county does have plans to build sidewalks north of the location of the crash as part of its improved pedestrian safety plan, costing about $11.4 million.
The estimated end date, according to the county's website, is December 2027.
"That's a frustration to a lot of residents where you see the problem now, but then on these transportation projects, you're talking years as opposed to weeks or months, which is how fast people would like to see the change," Hughes explained. "We're going through this paradigm shift of these really needs to be at the forefront and it is now at the forefront of our project planning and at the forefront of our building and construction efforts."
Henrico County launched a campaign called "WOAH," which stands for Watch Out Ahead Henrico, putting an emphasis on safe driving, cycling, and walking practices.
Rainer, who was at the announcement of the campaign, said there is progress happening, and is excited for where the greater Richmond area is headed.
"It's hard to convince people to care about total strangers, but at the end of the day, we all have somewhere we need to be, we're all equal, we all have a right to use these roads to get from point A to point B, and we have to work together in order to keep our neighborhoods safe."
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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