A hit-and-run driver struck a pedestrian on northbound Interstate 395 near the Duke Street exit Monday morning and then took off, according to Virginia State Police. Troopers say they found the person lying unresponsive in a travel lane, and the victim was later pronounced dead at the scene. The agency has launched a criminal investigation and is asking the public for help finding the vehicle involved and identifying the person who was killed, as per WJLA.
What police say
As reported by WJLA, state police say troopers were dispatched to the northbound lanes of I-395 at about 6:12 a.m. after someone called in a report of a person on the roadway. When officers arrived, they found the individual in the center lane and confirmed the person was dead. Investigators say the driver who hit the victim did not stay at the scene, and troopers are working both to identify the pedestrian and to track down the vehicle that left. Anyone who saw the crash or has video from the area is asked to call Virginia State Police at (804) 750-8798, according to the station.
Where it happened
The deadly collision unfolded along a busy segment of I-395 where traffic from Duke Street (Route 236) feeds into and off the interstate, a chokepoint for daily commuter traffic into Alexandria. The Virginia Department of Transportation notes that the Duke Street bridge over I-395 carries roughly 47,000 vehicles per day and that the structure recently underwent rehabilitation work intended to boost safety and improve conditions for people walking in the area.
Local safety context
City leaders in Alexandria have long flagged Duke Street as one of the corridors most in need of safety and transit upgrades. On the city’s planning pages, Duke Street appears prominently in both the ongoing “Duke Street In Motion” project and Alexandria’s Vision Zero initiative, which is aimed at eliminating severe traffic injuries and deaths. Those efforts point to corridors like Duke Street as having higher risks for serious and fatal crashes and outline a mix of multimodal improvements designed to slow vehicle speeds and offer better protection for pedestrians.
Legal implications
Under Virginia law, a driver who fails to stop after a crash that results in a death can face a felony charge. The Code of Virginia requires any driver involved in a collision that injures or kills someone to stop at the scene, share identifying information and provide reasonable assistance. Leaving the scene in a case that involves injury or death is punishable as a Class 5 felony.
Troopers say the investigation into the hit-and-run is ongoing and are again urging anyone with dash-cam recordings, cellphone video or other information to contact Virginia State Police at the number above. According to WJLA, investigators are working both to confirm the victim’s identity and to piece together the path the suspect vehicle took through the area.
