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Police ID victim in Friday night crash

Police have identified the victim after a vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian crossing Route 29 last Friday in Albemarle County just north of Charlottesville.

Harry Steven Allen, 53, of Charlottesville died at the scene Friday evening after attempting to cross the highway where it intersects with Rio Road, Albemarle County police reported on Wednesday.

Allen was crossing the street in a group of three, police said.

“They were not in the crosswalk,” county police spokeswoman Abbey Stumpf told The Daily Progress.

Allen was the only pedestrian to die. A second pedestrian was struck and sustained injuries. County police said they were being treated at the University of Virginia Medical Center. A third pedestrian was not struck. County police did not disclose the names of the two traveling with Allen.

The driver of the vehicle is not facing charges at this time, according to police. The motorist remained at the scene with Allen and is cooperating with the police department while an investigation is ongoing.

Allen’s death occurred less than 24 hours after a cyclist in the city of Charlottesville was struck and killed by another motorist around 11 p.m. Thursday night while traveling down Ivy Road near Alderman Road. Police said the unnamed victim in that collision was wearing dark clothes and no helmet while riding a bicycle without illumination in the rain.

No charges have been announced in that case either. City police spokesman Kyle Ervin has not returned multiple requests for comment from The Daily Progress.

The two incidents have raised concerns over pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure in the area.

“Everyone should able to bike, walk, and move safely, regardless of time of day, weather, or their appearance,” reads a statement from Livable Cville, a local group which advocates for better urban planning and infrastructure.

Virginia law requires pedestrians “cross, wherever possible, only at intersections or marked crosswalks.”

The state also requires that “every bicycle, or its rider, shall be equipped with a taillight on the rear emitting a red light plainly visible in clear weather from a distance of at least 500 feet to the rear when in use between sunset and sunrise and operating on any highway with a speed limit of 35 mph or greater.”

Source: www.dailyprogress.com

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