Eighteen-year-old John Snowden III lost his life on I-264 while trying to walk from one side of the interstate to the other. The crash occurred near the Norfolk side of the Downtown Tunnel just after sunset on Monday, March 7.
Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Portsmouth have seen numerous fatal pedestrian accidents in the past month. The cities have also experienced crashes in which people crossing roads suffered serious injuries. Each resulted from its own specific set of circumstances. But each also involved the tragic detail that a person walking along or across a road was struck by a car, van, truck or SUV.
The driver of the pickup truck that killed Snowden was not charged by police. Still, I’m sure he feels terrible about the accident. That is not an experience I’d wish on anyone.
If some good can come from the I-264 pedestrian fatality, it could be that it serves to remind drivers that they must always be on the lookout for walkers and people on bicycles. This is especially true on streets marked with crosswalks and divided into bike and car/truck lanes. Virginia also requires drivers to provide two feet of shoulder space on shared roadways and to change lanes or lower their speed by 20 mph when approaching police cars and other emergency vehicles parked on the side of the highway.
Pedestrians also have right-of-way whenever using a crosswalk to get across a street with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or slower. Walkers, bicyclists and anyone behind the wheel of a car or truck must share the road safely. My condolences go out to the Snowden family that this did not happen last week.
EJL
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services for consumers.
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