Charlottesville police announced Friday that initial reports that a motorist struck and killed a cyclist on Ivy Road the night of Jan. 12 were not entirely correct.
“After further investigation, the Charlottesville Police Department (CPD) was able to determine that the victim … was walking their bicycle across Ivy Rd. when he was struck, not riding it as initially reported on the scene,” according to a statement released Friday.
Police identified the victim as Isidro Casandro Martinez, 52, of Albemarle County.
The motorist, 54-year-old Corey Abdella of Charlottesville, has been charged with reckless driving, police said in the Friday statement.
“Officers do not believe speed or alcohol were contributing factors to the crash,” police added.
Kyle Ervin, spokesman for the Charlottesville Police Department, told The Daily Progress on Friday that there was no more additional information to release about the incident.
Police originally reported last week that a motorist had struck and killed a cyclist just before 11 p.m. on Jan. 12 while the two were traveling down Ivy Road near Alderman Road in Charlottesville. It was raining that night, and city police said the cyclist was wearing dark clothes with no helmet and riding a bicycle with no lights. Police now say Martinez was a pedestrian walking his bicycle.
Within 24 hours of Martinez’s death Thursday night, police in Albemarle County reported that a motorist had struck and killed a pedestrian attempting to cross Route 29 at Rio Road East outside of the painted crosswalks. Police identified the second victim as Harry Steven Allen, 53, of Charlottesville. County police said no charges have been filed in that case.
The two deaths have raised concerns that the area’s roadways are unsafe for pedestrians and prioritize motor vehicle traffic over human lives.
Livable Cville, a group which advocates for better urban planning and infrastructure, has urged both the county and the city to provide protected bike lanes and crosswalks for cyclists and pedestrians.
“The basic issue is that both the city and the county have, for decades, constructed roads with the primary purpose of getting cars from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible,” Matthew Gillikin, who leads the group, told The Daily Progress on Tuesday. “Pedestrians, cyclists, people with mobility devices are an afterthought.”
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
Be First to Comment