Man Suffers Serious Injuries on Jefferson Avenue in Newport News

Serious accidents involving pedestrians are far from rare on Jefferson Avenue, a fast-moving urban highway in Newport News.

Tragedy again struck on the highway over the weekend when a man was hit on the road and sustained injuries that could prove to be fatal, according to police. The Daily Press reported that police are trying to identify the pedestrian who was struck by a car near 49th Street and Jefferson Avenue Sunday evening.

The man hit was taken to a local hospital with what could be fatal injuries, police said. They say he is in his late 50s but have no other identifying information.

The driver of the vehicle remained at the accident scene with investigators from the Newport News Police Crash Reconstruction Team. No charges were reported in the media.

Jefferson Avenue on the Peninsula is one of the most pedestrian-unfriendly highways in Hampton Roads. Every year numerous accidents are reported on Newport News’s Jefferson Avenue.

This winter a 60-year-old woman from Hampton lost her life on Jefferson Avenue when she was struck by a driver who fled the accident scene, according to reports. She was said to be avoiding snow piled on a sidewalk in the 9500 block of Jefferson, near police headquarters, at about 1:15 a.m.

Three years ago, a 36-year-old man suffered serious injuries when he was hit by a truck as he was walking near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Industrial Park Drive. In October 2011, a 35-year-old woman was hit and killed by a car on Jefferson Avenue close to the intersection with Morris Drive.

In the spring of 2015, a 64-year-old man lost his life on Jefferson Avenue near Ellen Drive when he stumbled and fell into the right traffic lane where he was then hit by a car.

A driver can be liable for injuries sustained by a pedestrian, but it depends on the circumstances of the crash. If a pedestrian is working on a crosswalk or a sidewalk, a driver will often be to blame. This may not be the case if a pedestrian is on a different stretch of road.

Virginia has a harsh law of contributory negligence which states you may not recover if you are just one percent to blame for your accident. See our page on pedestrian accidents and driver liability in Virginia.

If you have been hurt as a pedestrian or have lost a loved one, call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers at 757.455.0077 for a free consultation.