Fairfax
County police officer responding to call strikes, kills pedestrian early Sunday
By Luz
Lazo
A
Fairfax County police officer responding to a call struck and killed a
pedestrian in the Falls Church area early Sunday, police said.
The
officer was driving in the eastbound lanes of Arlington Boulevard (Route 50),
approaching Graham Road when he struck Carlos Romeo Montoya, 40, at a crosswalk
about 12:15 a.m., according to police. Police did not have a current address
for Montoya.
There
is no indication that the officer had activated the lights or siren of his
marked cruiser, but he did have a green light, according to Police Chief Edwin
C. Roessler Jr.
“The
best information we have right now is the officer did have a green light, was
proceeding through the intersection, and that the pedestrian unfortunately was
crossing against the ‘don’t walk’ sign,” Roessler said at a Sunday afternoon
news conference.
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The
area is a busy commercial corridor that has multiple travel lanes and has come
to be known as a dangerous stretch for pedestrians.
The
incident closed three lanes of the highway for several hours.
Roessler
said the officer, identified only as someone with more than four years of law
enforcement experience, was responding to a call for service for disorderly
subjects.
Police
on Sunday were still trying to determine the actual speed of the cruiser at the
time of the crash, Roessler said. The posted speed in the area is 45 mph.
Roessler
said the cruiser’s in-car video system shows the officer was driving through a
green light, eastbound on Arlington Boulevard approaching the intersection of
Graham Road, when he struck the man in the left lane. The officer got out of
the cruiser to aid the victim until emergency personnel arrived, Roessler said.
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Police
said Montoya was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Pedestrians
continue to be at high risk on Washington region’s roads, data show
The
crash revived concerns about pedestrian safety in the county — where 14
pedestrians have been killed in traffic crashes so far this year — and about
that section of Arlington Boulevard in particular, which has a history of
tragedies involving pedestrians.
A
36-year-old woman was struck and killed in the area just over a year ago.
The incident
also is the latest of several fatal crashes this month involving pedestrians in
the Washington region. An unidentified man was killed in a hit-and-run crash in
Laurel on Oct. 12. A day later, a 67-year-old Takoma Park man was killed when
he was struck by two vehicles at an intersection in the Silver Spring area of
Montgomery County. And, last Monday, a 54-year-old Suitland woman was killed in
a hit-and-run in Prince George’s County.
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The
number of pedestrians fatalities in the region has been on the rise in recent
years. Pedestrians accounted for one-third of the 290 traffic deaths in the
greater Washington area last year — their largest proportion of the region’s
road fatalities in more than a decade, according to data compiled by The
Washington Post.
Fairfax
County traffic-safety advocates said Sunday’s crash highlights the safety
concerns along a portion of highway that is known to have poor lighting and
where cars are traveling at high speeds and pedestrians are forced to cross
eight lanes of traffic.
“Unacceptable!”
tweeted Shawn Newman of the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling.
“This
section of Arlington Boulevard is designed for 50+ mph speeds with 8 crossing
lanes and minimal light through a dense residential and commercial area,”
Newman tweeted using the group’s handle.
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In a
separate message directed at the Virginia Department of Transportation, the
group tweeted: “Stop just telling people to slow down, build the roads safer.”
The
Virginia Department of Transportation is conducting a study of a segment of
Route 50 between Wilson Boulevard and Jaguar Trail, including the intersection
where Sunday’s crash occurred; a public meeting is scheduled for Monday. As
part of the study, the department is considering changes to traffic signal timing,
turn restrictions and other pedestrian improvements.
Roessler
said the investigation into Sunday’s crash will determine the lighting
conditions at the intersection as well as condition of the pedestrian walk
signs and the speed of the cruiser; it will also include a forensic medical
examination.
The
officer involved in the crash has been assigned to administrative duties
pending the investigation, Roessler said, and the results will be sent to the
Fairfax County commonwealth’s attorney’s office for review.
“All of
us in the D.C. area are trying to combat the pedestrian crashes and the
fatalities, which is very unfortunate in our urbanizing area,” Roessler said.
“This is just horrible. . . . We have an individual that has died. It is
traumatic. I pray for the victim, their family, this officer.”
