A man died Wednesday night after being hit by a vehicle while crossing Dixie Highway in Louisville, and the driver who struck him fled the scene before later calling police. Louisville Metro Police say the man was not in a crosswalk when he was hit, and charges remain pending as investigators continue working the case.
According to wdrbwave.com, officers responded around 8 p.m. to the 10600 block of Dixie Highway, near Browns Park Circle, after getting reports of a pedestrian who had been hit. Police said the man was trying to cross Dixie Highway from east to west when he was struck by a vehicle traveling north. He was not in a crosswalk at the time, LMPD said.
The man was taken to UofL Hospital, where he died a short time later, per the same report. The driver left the scene without stopping, police said, but later contacted LMPD’s Traffic Unit, which is now investigating the fatal collision. As WLKY also reported, charges are pending against the person involved as the investigation continues.
A Second Dixie Highway-Area Hit-and-Run in Weeks
This is not the only recent case in which a Louisville driver allegedly struck a pedestrian and left before facing police. Just days earlier, a Louisville man named Jason Montgomery was charged after allegedly hitting two pedestrians in a crosswalk on Goss Avenue and leaving the scene, the station's report notes. Police said that on Sept. 3, Montgomery allegedly accelerated while turning onto Goss Avenue and hit a couple as they crossed the street with the crosswalk lights flashing.
Both victims in that crash were transported to a local hospital, per the same account. Montgomery’s bond was set at $50,000, and he entered a not guilty plea; he is expected back in court Oct. 2 for a preliminary hearing.
What Kentucky Law Requires After a Crash
Kentucky law spells out an operator’s obligations when a vehicle is involved in a crash that causes injury or death. Kentucky Revised Statutes 189.580, titled “Duty in case of accident,” addresses that duty, according to Kentucky's legislative statutes database, including requirements to stop, assess injury or damage, and provide reasonable assistance, including arranging necessary medical care. The statute does not list penalties.
Louisville’s own data has long flagged pedestrian safety as an ongoing concern. A 2024 report titled Understanding Pedestrian Crashes studied pedestrian crashes in Jefferson County between 2011 and 2020 on public streets and roads, excluding certain expressways, freeways, interstates and ramps, according to louisvilleky.gov. An earlier 2013 report had already identified trends, high-risk populations and high-crash locations in an effort to target reductions in pedestrian injuries and fatalities, per the same city page.
For now, the driver in the Dixie Highway crash has not been identified publicly, and no charges have been confirmed. LMPD’s Traffic Unit continues to investigate as the case moves forward.
