Fatal pedestrian accident on Columbia Pike, Annandale
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| Columbia Pike |
A pedestrian was fatally struck while trying to cross Columbia Pike, in Annandale, shortly before 7 p.m. on Oct. 29, the Fairfax County Police Department reports.
The victim was identified as Ha Yong Jung, 55, of Ellicott City, Md. He was in front of 7118 Columbia Pike, between Tom Davis Drive and John Marr Drive, when a 2015 Ford pickup truck, driven by a 51-year-old woman, exited a parking lot at 7117 and headed west on Columbia Pike.
Jung was in the middle of the westbound lanes, not in a crosswalk, when he was struck by the truck. The driver remained on the scene. Jung was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Speed and alcohol are not considered factors in this crash, according to an initial investigation by detectives from the Crash Reconstruction Unit. No charges are anticipated. The investigation continues.
The crash happened three days after FCPD announced plans for a pedestrian safety initiative and reported five of the 11 most dangerous spots for pedestrians are in the Annandale/Mason District area.
This fatality while most will attribute to the individual not crossing at a cross walk, is really a result of Fairfax county and the neglect of the second class citizens that are pedestrians. Speed and cars are always prioritized over pedestrians. This is why Annandale has five of the most dangerous areas.
Annandale doesn't really have any crosswalk or even crossing walk signals at street lights, it really is the most dangerous area for pedestrians in Fairfax County and the DMV area. Until they implement more cross walks, walk signals, there will be more pedestrian fatalities. Annandale is not walk-friendly at all.
VDOT = Very Dead On Toe
I don't know, in Baileys we have lots of cross walks and so many refuse to use them and cross in between.
It's as simple as this: terrible road design and town planning.
With four lanes, the road is unnecessarily wide. It is difficult to cross by foot because of the number of lanes and there's no island to rest safely half way. Drivers speed because that's normal driving culture. Pedestrian traffic is not heavy therefore drivers aren't looking for pedestrians.
I don't blame the dead pedestrian or the driver since better design could significantly decrease these situations.
Our illustrious forefathers and mothers wanted things this way. All cars; no walking. It wasn't terrible planning for their time, but now that we know that they did things wrong, it is too difficult and expensive to retrofit everything.