‘This happens all the time’: Hershberger Road death adds to growing pedestrian crashes in Roanoke
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — 56-year-old Kirk King died in the hospital Tuesday, April 8 after being hit the same morning by a car on Hershberger Road. His death is the latest pedestrian crash in the Star City.
WFXR has reported on at least four other pedestrian crashes in Roanoke in just the past few months.
However, the stretch of Hershberger Road near Williamson Road, where King was hit, saw at least 50 crashes last year according to DMV high crash location data. At least five involved a pedestrian.
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The accident comes a day after “Envision Williamson Road” project did a survey studying traffic difficulties on Williamson.
“Hershberger and Williamson kind of go together,” said Valerie Brown, executive director of the Greater Williamson Road Area Business Association Tuesday.
She joined multiple city divisions in the collaborative survey to identify traffic safety concerns in the area.
“We noticed sidewalks – when we had sidewalks – we noticed the unevenness of the sidewalks,” she explained. “We noticed sometimes the road and the sidewalk come up so there’s no curb at all and if there’s a vehicle going by you, it’s right there.”
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She adds that some lights don’t work and business signs can often block a driver’s view. They’re road hazards that, if fixed, could prevent further tragedies.
“When I heard it this morning my heart just dropped,” Brown said about King’s death. “It just brings home the fact that this happens all the time and so we really need to address this.”
“Envision Williamson Road” will have further meetings. You can find more on the project here.
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