Pedestrian Killed by Police Cruiser in Portsmouth is Named as Sanasga Weera

I was moved after reading the sad story of Sanasga J. “Chilli” Weera, in the Virginian-Pilot.

Weera, a popular 60-year-old from Sri Lanka was mown down and killed by a police car in Portsmouth this week.

He was struck close to his home at about 9:10 p.m. near the intersection of Woodstock Street and Portsmouth Boulevard, I noted in a report earlier this week.

The circumstances of this crash are still unclear. The article in the Pilot said Weera was known for helping others. He had worked in a store for years.

There are many unanswered questions in this tragedy. The police car did not have its flashing lights activated but was said by the police department not to be attending a call. When a pedestrian dies in circumstances like this his family may have grounds to file a wrongful death case against the driver or the police department that employs the driver.

Weera’s death is not the first time a police cruiser has hit a pedestrian along the same stretch of Portsmouth Boulevard, reported the Pilot.

Last fall a woman was hit in the 2600 block of the street, approximately a mile away, while chasing a child. She was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, Holley said. The result of the investigation is still under administrative review.

My deepest condolences go to the family of Mr. Weera after this tragic loss of live. If you have lost a loved one due to the fault of another person, call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers at 757.455.0077.