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Background: The aftermath of the collision on 2nd Street in Richmond, Virginia (WTVR/YouTube). Inset: Hope Cartwright (Virginia Living).
In a tragic incident in Virginia, a woman fatally struck a pedestrian on a city crosswalk in daylight and then drove away, according to police reports.
The Richmond Police Department announced that Latesha Coleman, aged 41, faces charges of felony hit-and-run following the death of 23-year-old Hope Cartwright. The unfortunate accident took place on a Monday afternoon.
Authorities stated the collision occurred around 5:30 p.m. while Cartwright was crossing 2nd Street heading east in Richmond. A vehicle making a left turn from East Cary Street hit her unexpectedly.
As per the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, sunset on that day wasn’t until 5:50 p.m. Richmond police arrived at the scene by approximately 5:34 p.m., only to find that the vehicle involved had already fled.
The police report detailed that Cartwright was “down and unresponsive” upon their arrival. A resident’s Ring camera reportedly captured the incident, with the homeowner telling Richmond’s ABC affiliate WRIC, “It seemed she was struck from behind, dragged slightly, and then fully run over by the car.”
“Her lunch box was still on the road for a few hours after she got hit,” Ari Abad added, saying she could see that the pedestrian walk sign was on when Cartwright was hit. Video taken by the TV station after the crash showed a pink lunch box on the street next to a pink boot.
“She was in the crosswalk as that car turned,” Abad added. “It seemed impossible to miss the pedestrian, because she was directly in front of the car.”
Coleman — later identified as the driver — is believed to have had a green light but failed to yield to the pedestrian on the crosswalk as she made her turn.
Cartwright was brought to an area hospital, where she “succumbed to her injuries,” police said.
Investigators studied the scene using video from traffic cameras and license plate-reading technology to identify the vehicle that hit the victim. Within an hour, police said, officers found the parked vehicle and contacted its owner, Coleman. She was arrested and charged.
Cartwright was an associate editor for Virginia Living, a magazine that “celebrates all things Virginia,” according to its website.
“We are devastated,” Virginia Living editor in chief Madeline Mayhood told WRIC, describing Cartwright as “a real rockstar” who was approaching her second anniversary at the magazine. “Her death, at 23, is unfathomable. We’re all still in disbelief and shock.”
Richmond is the capital of Virginia, with a population north of 200,000.