A 31-year-old man was fatally struck by a car Friday night in Dumfries, Virginia, as the number of recent pedestrian crashes continues to climb in the D.C. area.
The crash happened as the driver of a Hyundai Sonata who'd been traveling north on Interstate 95 was exiting to eastbound Dumfries Road, Prince William County police said. As the driver tried to merge onto Dumfries Road, he struck a pedestrian who was wearing dark clothing and walking in the roadway, according to police. It happened in a dimly lit area that has no crosswalks.
Crash investigators responded to the scene at Dumfries Road and Green Tree Lane shortly before 9:45 p.m.
The victim was taken to a hospital, where he died. Police identified him as Jamel Terrell Tanner, 31, of Dumfries.
"I'm devastated," Tanner's sister, Terrice Tanner, said.
She said she was scrolling on Facebook when she came across a post from Prince William County police stating officers had responded to the scene of a pedestrian crash.
"Five minutes after I read that report on Facebook, Prince William County police called me and told me that it was my brother," she said.
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The driver of the Hyundai, a Stafford man, remained at the scene of the crash. Police said speed or impairment did not appear to be factors in the crash on the part of the driver.
Terrice Tanner said her brother had fallen on hard times, but was working hard to get his life back on track and was working two jobs. She said he was the type of person to put others first.
"He was very helpful, very kind," she said. "I was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, so I had been out of work, so he was helping me take care of his niece and his nephew."
The investigation into the crash is continuing.
It's the eighth deadly pedestrian crash this year in Prince William County, already surpassing the total from all of last year. Other localities around the D.C. area have also been seeing rises in pedestrian crashes.
Terrice Tanner said she hopes more is done to protect others walking in the area where her brother lost his life.
"There's no crosswalks for pedestrians to walk safely across," she said. "So it's very hard to be safe when you don't have proper sidewalks or crosswalks for anybody."
And as for what she will miss the most:
"I really, truly will miss our conversations and his hugs for sure, but he was an amazing person."
