HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) -- Alfredo Goldston's mother says she made the toughest decision of her life early Friday afternoon.
Her only son, a young man who was struck by an SUV while walking on Harvie Road Thursday night, was deemed brain dead, so his life support plug was pulled.
But there's now a face and name behind Thursday night's flashing lights.
At an impromptu vigil, wooden crosses, a bear, a balloon. Candlelight flickers near the spot where the 23-year-old Goldston was hit. The light is a metaphor for what people living in this area want to see.
“They walk down the side of the road, walk down side streets all in black,” said longtime resident Shelton Jones. “It's camouflage."
“He had on all black but he had reflectors on the side of his shoes. I just don't see how that driver couldn’t see that," said Goldston’s mom, Barbara Boone. She says her son grew up off Harvie Road in eastern Henrico.
Friday night many of his childhood friends and family members stood in harm’s way near the dark roadside to pay tribute to a young life cut tragically short. “He was very well loved. If he'd see somebody in trouble, he'd help them out and if he couldn't, he'd get out of Dodge," said Boone.
Boone says her son had horrible vision. His glasses were knocked off his face by the SUV impact.
Police say the accident is still under investigation and their findings will be taken to the Commonwealth’s Attorney's office for review.
“I almost hit a child two nights ago,” said Jones. His neighbors say it's time for them to take action. “We as a community will have to band together to get some lights put up," he said.
If that doesn't happen-they fear another tragedy is only a matter of time. “It doesn't seem when deaths occur, that matter to the county. We have to take the action," Jones said.
Henrico utility officials told me they don't control lights on that stretch of road. In fact, if neighbors want lights, officials tell CBS-6 they can call Dominion Virginia Power to install one for a fee.
As for Goldsten, his mom says he had been looking forward to a change of pace. He'd already bought a ticket to go live with his uncle in Seattle on February 20th. He was set to leave, but he didn't make it.
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