HENRICO COUNTY, Va - Driving involves making a series of choices every few seconds.
Ronnell White, who lives just off Laburnum Avenue in Henrico County, said someone made a bunch of wrong choices over the weekend.
He's talking about a driver who hit a teenage boy riding his bicycle and fled the scene.
“We’re just getting crazy now!” White said. “So much of a hurry to get to where they going, and then you don’t what to stop because you hit a person, you keep going. To me, that’s being a coward.”
Officers were called to the intersection of Laburnum Avenue and Kings Point Drive Saturday evening and found a teenage boy lying on the side of the road next to his bicycle, police said. The teen was taken to the hospital, where his family said he remained Monday.
The driver who hit the child did not stay on the scene.
Both investigators and the child's family have asked for help developing leads in the hit-and-run crash. For now, investigators have only said the vehicle was last seen traveling west on Laburnum toward Harvie Road. The crash happened around 8:25 pm Saturday, officials said.
White said he felt safe walking along the busy stretch of Laburnum, but also sees drivers going faster than they should.
“Especially since they added the extra stop lights, but some people do go 10-12 miles [per hour] over the speed limit,” he said. “We’ve got to get back to taking care of our own; the children especially.”
What happened to his young neighbor, White said, a close-by example of people not thinking beyond themselves.
“Your first panicked reaction might be, ‘Oh man, I just hit somebody. Oh, a child! I better keep going. No!” White said. “If you stop, it’s not saying you won’t be punished. You’ll get your punishment for whatever you do wrong. But when you keep running, like I said, to me that’s being a coward.”
Anyone who may have witnessed this crash or has information that will help police and the family was asked to call Officer Marceau Henrico Police at 804-501-4800. You may also call Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000, or online at P3Tips.com; both methods are anonymous.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
