Pedestrian hit, killed early Thursday while sitting in the road. Driver charged.
A pedestrian was hit and killed on Hammond Road at the Raleigh Beltline early Thursday morning, according to police.
The pedestrian was sitting in one of the northbound lanes of Hammond, just south of where it passes under Interstate 40, when he was hit by a Honda Pilot at about 2:44 a.m., according to police.
Police determined that the driver of the Pilot didn’t slow down before hitting and killing the pedestrian. They have charged the driver with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and failure to reduce speed, but say the crash remains under investigation.
Police have not released the names of the pedestrian or the driver.
Northbound Hammond is four lanes wide at the Beltline, including a left turn lane, and the speed limit is 45 mph. Police say the pedestrian was sitting sideways in the far left lane, facing east, when he was hit.
Police closed the northbound lanes of Hammond Road at the Beltline after the collision. The road was reopened by 6:45 a.m.
Raleigh has seen a spike in pedestrian deaths in recent years. In 2022, 27 people were hit and killed while on foot in the city, more than three times the annual average since 2006. Numbers for 2023 are not yet available.
Statewide, the number of pedestrians killed appeared to fall in 2023 compared to the year before. Through Dec. 15, 232 people were struck and killed while on foot in North Carolina, down about 12% from the same period a year earlier, according to a crash database kept by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
This story was originally published January 4, 2024 at 11:23 AM.
