Kings Park West Crash Part Of 'Epidemic' Of Unsafe Driving: Supervisor

BURKE, VA — A hit-and-run crash in the Kings Park West neighborhood that left a pedestrian seriously injured and killed one of her dogs dead has brought the nation’s “epidemic of unsafe driving” home to the Braddock District, according to Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw.

A Fairfax County man was charged with felony hit-and-run in connection with the Oct. 24 crash on a sidewalk outside the Kings Ridge Swim Club near the intersection of Gainsborough Drive and Wheatstone Drive. While one of the woman’s dogs was pronounced dead at the scene, her other dog suffered severe injuries.

“Like all of us, I am deeply saddened by this event. My thoughts are with the victim and her family,” Walkinshaw said in his weekly newsletter. “Unfortunately, we are in the midst of a nationwide epidemic of unsafe driving and pedestrian deaths. While the Braddock District has had fewer incidents than other parts of Fairfax County, we have not been unaffected.”

Walkinshaw noted that Fairfax County has devoted significant local resources to funding pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements across the county.

Fairfax County works with the Virginia Department of Transportation to add improvements such as bike lanes, which are proven to reduce speeds on residential streets. The county also helps communities that wish to engage in the Residential Traffic Administration Program to seek traffic-calming measures, like speed humps, in accordance with VDOT’s guidelines, Walkinshaw explained.

READ ALSO: Fairfax Man Charged With Hit-And-Run After Hitting Woman, Dogs: Police

Additionally, the county recently launched the “Take a Moment” campaign to urge residents to watch out for one another and do their best to protect each other from accidents that lead to injuries or death.

As for the Oct. 24 crash in the Kings Park West neighborhood, the 53-year-old woman continues to recover from her injuries.

The surviving dog, Bruno, has been released from the animal hospital and is doing better. Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter held a campaign to raise funds to treat Bruno.

Adriana Pacheco, the daughter of the woman injured in the hit-and-run crash, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with medical expenses and lawyer fees. As of Wednesday morning, the campaign had raised more than $26,000.

“My mom was on her daily evening walk with our two dogs when a reckless driver suddenly hit her and the dogs,” Pacheco wrote on the GoFundMe site. “The driver then drove off and left my mom on the ground fighting for her life.”

Pacheco said her mother was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. She has several broken ribs, a broken sternum, several skull fractures, and lacerations on the back of her head.

“The most concerning and why she is in critical condition is that the skull fractures may cause some permanent brain damage,” she said.

Visit the GoFundMe site to donate money to Adriana Pacheco’s campaign for her mother and to hold the hit-and-run suspect accountable.

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