It’s been a devastating few days for several families in the D.C. area; four people walking along different roads were killed in just 24 hours. Within another day, a fifth person was killed.
Between 11 p.m. Saturday and 9 p.m. Sunday, four people were killed while crossing streets in the DMV.
Along Columbia Pike in Fairfax County on Sunday night, a Metrobus hit a man. He was rushed to a hospital but didn’t make it.
Not 30 minutes later, a woman was hit and killed by a driver along South Glebe Road in Arlington, not far from the Army Navy Country Club.
On Saturday night, a 44-year-old man lost his life after being hit by two cars in Dumfries.
The fourth crash occurred on New York Avenue, one of the busiest streets in and out of D.C. On Sunday night, a woman was hit and killed as she crossed. Shanell Holiday was the victim, police said in an update Tuesday. She was 29.
On Monday night, a woman died and her child survived after they were hit by a vehicle in Rockville, police said. They were hit at Twinbrook Parkway and Chapman Avenue.
‘Take into account what you’re putting other families through’
Benjamin Gates was crossing a D.C. street in January 2021 when his life changed forever. He was hit by a driver who took off. He spent the next eight weeks in the hospital. Now, he dedicates time to pedestrians who no longer have a voice.
“It really makes me just hope and wish that somewhere along the lines, sooner, preferably than later, that people will take each other into consideration when it comes to sharing the roads,” he said.
News4 asked Gates what goes through his head when he hears that a pedestrian was killed.
“That’s a very hard thing to put into words,” he said. “My heart goes out to everybody that was struck by a vehicle. This is not something that you would want to go through. This isn’t something that you would want your family to go through. You have to take into account what you’re putting other families through.”
Anyone with potentially relevant information on any of the deadly crashes is asked to contact police.
News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.
