RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Police Department’s crash team continues to investigate a fatal collision that killed a beloved Richmond museum director over the weekend.
Bill Martin, the director of the Valentine Museum, died after being struck by a car while crossing East Broad Street on Saturday afternoon.
Richmond police said Martin was in the crosswalk on East Broad Street just before 2 p.m. Saturday when a driver turning left from North 10th Street hit him.
Martin died the next day from his injuries. The driver remained on scene after the collision.
Martin was just two blocks from the museum when the accident occurred.
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No charges have been filed at this stage of the investigation, however, investigators will be consulting with the Commonwealth's Attorney to determine whether charges are appropriate, according to James Mercante, the Director of Public Affairs for the police department.
The tragedy has devastated many in the community. On Monday, a woman gingerly placed flowers in the median at the scene of the crash, honoring her beloved former boss amid the ordinary hustle and bustle of traffic on Broad Street.
“No, that's so sad, that's very sad," said Gilbert Glago, a PhD student at VCU studying biomedical science, who frequently walks in the area.
Jamie Brown, who lives and works in the area, said she has witnessed the dangers of the intersection firsthand.
"That is not the first, and it probably won't be the last because nobody understand pedestrian right of way and they also don't understand speed limits," Brown said about Martin’s death.
She agreed to speak to CBS 6 about the crash after we spotted her getting angry at a driver as she crossed Broad Street in the very same spot as Martin.
"I had the walk sign and they kept going. I had to hold up my hand, and she's like, what? I said I have the right of way, you didn't, you needed to yield and she got angry and pulled off," Brown said.
Brown said there is no excuse for a driver hitting a pedestrian in the crosswalk at this particular intersection.
"It has clear sight lines, it's not like somebody popping up over the hill," Brown said.
She hopes Martin's death serves as a warning to drivers to yield to pedestrians who are in the crosswalk and have the right of way. During the interview, our cameras captured a man nearly getting hit by a car as he crossed North 10th Street.
"The pedestrian has a right of way, you are in a one ton to a half ton vehicle and you need to slow down and realize it could be anybody that is kin to you or your person or anything," Brown said.
Brown wants the city and state to take action to improve pedestrian safety in Richmond.
"More speed-friendly designs of the roads to force people to slow down not just lights but barriers and different things," Brown said.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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