A 57-year-old Raleigh man was behind bars Tuesday morning after court records say he struck and killed a pedestrian on Spring Forest Road the night before. Victor Manuel Sanchez-Hernandez faces charges of misdemeanor death by vehicle, driving with no operator's license and failure to reduce speed following the crash, which happened around 6 p.m. Monday.
According to court documents cited by the Raleigh News & Observer, the crash occurred in the 4900 block of Spring Forest Road, off Louisburg Road. An arrest warrant alleges Sanchez-Hernandez fatally struck a woman at that location, though the newspaper has not named her, noting her family may not yet have been notified. WRAL previously reported on a separate crash at Spring Forest Road and Wyckhurst Court.
Court documents allege Sanchez-Hernandez did not have a driver's license, and he consented to a blood draw the night of the crash, per the same report. The News & Observer reported that it was unclear whether police suspected impairment. A magistrate judge reportedly wrote that the allegations had a “horrific fact,” according to the News & Observer's account.
Bond Set at $5,000, Still Unpaid as of Tuesday
Sanchez-Hernandez was assigned $5,000 secured bail, and as of Tuesday morning he had not posted bond, the News & Observer reported. The outlet's article was labeled a breaking story with updates expected as the case develops, and no additional details about the circumstances of the crash — including how it unfolded or who, if anyone, has been determined to be at fault — have been released.
Spring Forest Road's Recent Crash History
Monday's crash is not the only serious collision to hit that stretch of road in recent memory. WRAL previously reported that one person was killed and another injured in a crash around 12:25 p.m. on a Thursday at Spring Forest Road and Wyckhurst Court. A separate deadly multi-vehicle wreck also shut down the intersection of Spring Forest Road and Green Road on a Thursday afternoon, according to CBS 17, which reported that investigators believed driver Rodney Lee ran a red light and struck a car driven by Mary Garris; passenger Mark Garris later died from his injuries, and Lee was charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and failure to stop at a steady red light. The available evidence does not establish that these separate incidents share circumstances with Monday's crash or that collisions on the corridor are increasing.
Pedestrian deaths have been a persistent concern across Raleigh in recent years. Citing data from the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles, the News & Observer reported that 29 pedestrians were killed on Raleigh streets in 2022, with the Raleigh Police Department responding to crashes that killed 27 of them while the State Highway Patrol handled two others. In another case from earlier this year, a pedestrian crash in the 3100 block of New Bern Avenue killed 54-year-old Nicole Shawnette White, and police later identified 25-year-old Isaiah Deshon Gray as the driver, charging him with felony hit and run and a probation violation, per ABC11.
What the Charges Mean
Under North Carolina law, misdemeanor death by vehicle is classified as a Class A1 misdemeanor, according to the statute maintained by the North Carolina General Assembly. The investigation into Monday's crash remains active, and no further details about the sequence of events or a final determination of fault have been released.
